Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
Brighton, a springer spaniel, was donated to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday by the Gold Country Kennel Club. Club President Chuck Teasley looks on as the drug-sniffing dog's leash is held by Shannan Moon, a member of the Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force.
The latest addition to the Nevada County Narcotics Task Force hates doughnuts, doesn't have a mustache and won't complain about working overtime.
In fact, Brighton, a year-old springer spaniel introduced Tuesday, might find his job especially rewarding, since treats are all the dog will be working for.
Brighton will be used as a drug-sniffing tool to help the Sheriff's Office investigate places where marijuana can be cultivated, methamphetamine can be cooked, heroin is used or cocaine distributed.
The dog was donated to the Sheriff's Office by the Gold Country Kennel Club, a nonprofit group that paid $5,000 for the dog's six-week training and the training of Detective Shannan Moon, who will be Brighton's primary handler.
The kennel club obtained the dog in February.
It is a departure for the 30-plus members of the kennel club, whose major activities include staging a dog show at the Nevada County Fairgrounds each Labor Day.
"Their contributions to our efforts are greatly appreciated," Sheriff Keith Royal said.
The dog replaces one that died last year. Brighton will be used to help establish probable cause in searching homes suspected of containing controlled substances, Moon said. He will not be used as a first line of defense in unsecured situations.
"Just the fact that he has alerted me -- his sniff alone is probable cause for me to ask for a search warrant," said Moon, who was due to work with the last dog, Bree, before the pooch died last year.
Brighton ultimately will minimize the risk to human officers, Moon said, and has a keen sense of smell far more powerful than that of his handler.
The dog isn't likely to be used to sniff out lockers or school classrooms, Royal said, but that might be a possibility in the future.
Ranger Michael Smittle, who works at the South Yuba State Park at Bridgeport, uses a patrol dog as part of his duties.
Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Evans of the Narcotics Task Force said the county will often use dogs with Placer County law enforcement.
Tuesday, Brighton spent time playing in the front yard of kennel club President Charles Teasley's home, rolling in the grass and jumping up and down.
"He's extremely high-energy," Moon said. "He's still a puppy, but he's a tool, not a pet."
