More than ten thousand years ago people tamed fearsome beasts – the wolf and the jackal, the ancestors of dogs, home guards. Time passed, dogs started helping in hunting and thus proved to be of an indisputable advantage. The human taught the four-legged to rescue in the mountains, to be a guide for the blind, to blow up the tanks during wars, to fly in space … Today, law enforcement agencies around the world cannot do without the services of these intelligent assistants. The practice of using dogs confirms their unique abilities: their ability to smell is 800 times better than a human’s!
Today, the Customs has an important task – to counter drug trafficking. To do this, a set of measures, aimed at improving the search work using dogs, has been developed. Today in the customs system there are nearly 300 canine teams.
"A third of criminal cases on smuggling filed by the Customs, especially illegal drugs trafficking, is the result of successful work of the customs officers working with dogs"- said the chairman of the State Customs Service of Ukraine during the international dog competition, which recently took place in Vinnitsa region among the teams from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Poland and Azerbaijan.
Thus, over the past few years, four-legged assistants have helped to prevent transfer of drugs across the customs border in more than 400 cases.
As the chief of the department dealing with drugs and weapons trafficking at Chop customs office Alexander Semalj told us, so far 27 canine teams are working at the customs office. Among the dogs such breeds are used: 12 German Shepherds, 6 Labradors, 4 Beagles, 3 Spaniels and 2 Golden retrievers. The "companions" are involved in around the clock duty at almost all of Transcarpathian checkpoints.
Among the interesting facts of identification of drugs by dog experts Alexander Semalj recalls the case of cocaine hidden in the … condom. A Ukrainian, returning from Italy in a van, concealed from the customs control a pasty white substance wrapped in transparent plastic bags, placed in a transparent condom, tied in a knot.
In two cases, during the customs control of a van at the customs post "Tisa", service dogs found cannabis, hidden in bags of coffee. The offender tried to transfer a package across the border, having hidden it in pasta. Later, law enforcement officers arrested the organizers of the channel – Uzhgorod citizens.
A six-year shepherd Irma is a special dog at Chop customs. The luxurious German during its work “solved” 9 criminal cases to identify drugs. Red and black customs officer flawlessly and quickly identified marijuana, hashish and cocaine, hidden from customs control.
A faithful friend – the biggest treasure
Mikhail Bogdanets, a senior dog specialist, finds it difficult to imagine search work without Jessica, a British Beagle, who has become well-known. Incorruptible "operative worker" is indispensable in the search for various types of weapons and explosives.
When, to celebrate the Day of Saint Nicholas, the Customs organized an excursion at the Ukrainian-Slovak border for orphans of Velikiy Berezny boarding school, friendly Arnold was brought to demonstrate an impromptu search of drugs in the car. It successfully found a hiding place and was rewarded applause from the children. Now the dog is retired – it now lives in the village.
Last year, Mikhail, when being a dog handler at Chop customs, picked up a 9-month old puppy for training. Every day he wakes in the dog very valuable qualities of character: self-control, poise, confidence, obedience and attentiveness. Now the dog specialist is sure, good work depends on good friendship…
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