My sniffer dog’s got no nose. How does he smell? Terribly!
HE arrived amid much fanfare to help lead the fight against drug dealers.
But Orkney’s first dedicated sniffer dog is being forced to retire after only three months – because he has lost his sense of smell.
Labrador Whisky arrived on the islands after anti-drugs campaigners raised £105,000 to fund him, and on his first visit he helped find a stash of herbal cannabis.
But the nine-year-old has been off duty for the past 12 weeks because his handler, Kevin Moar, injured his knee during a fitness test, resulting in the dog losing his ‘spark and enthusiasm’ for detection. Whisky ‘no longer has the ability to smell drugs’ and will now be retired to become a family pet.
The sniffer dog had been based in the Highlands with Police Scotland and was supposed to begin his new role in October.
But he and his handler had to delay this only days before they were due to start after Mr Moar was injured – during his policesupervised medical.
Mr Moar, 50, is now fit and ready to start work but Whisky is not.
Andrew Drever, chairman of the Orkney Drugs Dog (ODD) charity, said: ‘Whisky has not been on active duty for 12 weeks and no longer has the ability to smell drugs. He constantly needs to be on patrol.
‘It is very frustrating but we are now actively looking for another dog through police, RAF and other contacts. We have not found one yet but we hope to have a dog in place perhaps next month.’
Whisky first visited Orkney in September with his then handler, PC Matthew Watson, who has since retired. The labrador was involved in a search of two properties in Kirkwall, which resulted in the seizure of herbal cannabis worth around £300.
Mr Drever said: ‘Upon assessment it was found that Whisky’s spark and enthusiasm had reduced. It is with regret we have to announce he will also be retiring and will stay with Mr Watson.’
Police Scotland is helping the charity to find another dog.
Mr Moar, from Orkney, spent 27 years in the RAF Police and is a former patrol and search dog instructor and trainer for the Ministry of Defence. He said it was ‘frustrating’ that his injury had set the project back, adding: ‘[The drug problem] is increasing and anything we can do to prevent and disrupt the supply will be good.’
The ODD’s start-up costs were £105,000, with annual running costs of £55,000 to £60,000,
There were 50 drug possession cases in Orkney in 2017-18, up from 29 the previous year. Last May, class A and B drugs worth almost £30,000 were seized.
‘Spark and enthusiasm has reduced’