Police, Dogs Put Their Noses to the Grindstone

Seventeen police dogs from across Ventura County and Santa Barbara were on a mission Tuesday--they searched for balloons of heroin in a vacant Ventura building. They were successful.

The search was only for practice, as police dogs and their K-9 patrol officer owners took a narcotics training session in a vacant wing of the Ventura County Medical Society building at the corner of Chestnut and Santa Clara in downtown Ventura.

Four rookie dogs and their handlers were being trained for certification to go on patrols, while 13 certified teams conducted their weekly practice regimen.

According to training coordinator Debbie Inglis, the practice sessions are vital for the officers and their canine partners to establish good team work.

“If the team falls apart, the success is gone,” said Inglis, who runs Inglis Pet House with her husband, Ventura Police Lt. Dave Inglis.

Inglis said that the search dogs--typically German shepherds between ages 2 and 8--need an officer to help them search in an organized, traceable pattern so they don’t lose track of where they have already searched.

Simi Valley Police Officer Mark Rendahl, 34, and his 2-year-old shepherd Cero demonstrated deft teamwork Tuesday as they searched an unoccupied room for drugs. Moving through an old office in a clockwise fashion, Cero sniffed areas identified by Rendahl.

The search ended with Cero opening a desk drawer with his mouth, sniffing inside and abruptly sitting down. Inglis explained that Cero’s actions showed he had found one of the balloons filled with borrowed drugs that had once been used as evidence.

“We’ve found that the ‘passive alert’ [when the dog sits, rather digs at drugs] is a lot easier on furniture and car doors and things like that,” said Inglis. “It’s more budget- and citizen-friendly.”

Rendahl, a 10-year department veteran who has worked with Cero for the past year, said he appreciates the extra resource his four-legged partner offers.

“The dog just lets everyone do more,” said Rendahl. “They can cover a lot of territory.”

Other officers at Tuesday’s training agreed with Rendahl. “If you have to search a big building with several floors, the dog can do it a lot faster than men can,” said Ventura Police Officer Ray Harer, 44.

Harer said he likes working with dogs and pointed out that there are similarities to working with another patrolman.

“The most important thing about the training is that you learn their moods,” said Harer. “Today he’s hyper, but other times he’ll be tired and I have to factor that in--just like with people.”

Inglis pointed out that the canine partner has some advantages over humans.

“A big difference [between a human and a canine partner] is that when you are riding around with him in a patrol car all night, the dog will always listen to your stories, where others might tell you they’ve heard enough.”