Boy oh boy, sometimes you can’t make these stories up. While it’s not unheard of for a dog to be honored as a hero, the story behind this dog’s heroics isn’t that ordinary.

Usually, we hear of brave police K9 dogs sniffing out explosive devices or narcotics. They go through extensive training to learn how to do their jobs. But some of that has to do with their instincts too.

Kenyon, a golden retriever, was busying himself by digging in his family’s back yard. The 18-month-old pup found an object buried in the dirt and the curious owners assumed it was some sort of time capsule. Kenyon unearthed a long black tube that obviously contained something.

Excited about the find, they decided to film its opening. They were shocked to find that the tube contained drugs – heroin to be exact. The Yamhill County Sheriff’s department was notified and they identified the contents as black tar heroin with a street value of $85,000!

Even if you don’t know what black tar heroin is, you know it’s bad. This dog was smart enough to detect it through layers of dirt and became a local hero. In the department’s Facebook post, Sheriff Tim Svenson was quoted as saying this:

“Opioid addiction and overdose deaths are on the rise and with the help of Kenyon this large quantity of heroin is removed from our community”.

 
The cute pooch was rewarded with a K9 ribbon and was also given another huge honor for his detective work. Watch the video to learn about this young dog’s other impressive achievement!

Among K9 police dogs, the breeds typically chosen are the German shepherd, Belgian Malinois, or Labrador retriever. All of these breeds have a superior sense of smell and keen hunting instincts. They make ideal protectors and detectors as police dogs.

Golden retrievers like Kenyon are also found in the mix of law enforcement dogs who can detect concealed contraband. Dogs undergo months of training from a young age before being assigned their duties. They may work in a variety of settings including local police departments, border patrols, or customs enforcement.

What’s amazing about Kenyon is his inherent ability to sniff out narcotics without any detection training. We’re aware that pets can smell medical conditions like low blood sugar and cancer, but when taught to use their gift of single-mindedness with their detection skills, they can alert humans to what’s happening. Kenyon is a natural.

Further, Kenyon’s find of black tar heroin probably saved some lives. Who knows if the person who buried it had plans to return for it? A quick lookup of the drug reveals that it is a more dangerous form of heroin because it causes the veins to collapse quickly. In addition to being highly addictive, it’s cheap because it’s unrefined and contains a high amount of poisons.

As the sheriff pointed out, Kenyon did his Oregon community a huge service with his diligent digging and instincts. The next question is: what will he dig up next?

 

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you know any pet dogs who have detection abilities like Kenyon? What did the dog discover?