Dog rescued by Bromsgrove centre begins life as crime fighter (From Bromsgrove Advertiser)

Dog rescued by Bromsgrove centre begins life as crime fighter

10:40am Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News

A DOG rescued by a Bromsgrove animal centre has helped foiled a major drug smuggling attempt.

Ralph, the English springer spaniel, was picked up by the Blue Cross as a skinny stray, and taken to the charity’s Animal Adoption Centre, in Catshill.

Neil Edwards, the centre’s manager, said he was in a sorry state when staff first took him in, but he began to perk up after food, love and attention.

Neil said: “He is an English springer spaniel and this breed has a high drive to keep busy.

“Ralph needed to use his amazing sense of smell all the time.

“This meant he would need a lot of mental stimulation and exercise in a new home to avoid him becoming frustrated.”

The two-year-old was taken on by the Revenue’s Customs Service in Ireland, becoming a sniffer dog.

Just two weeks in to the job, Ralph indicated he had detected something in a car getting off a ferry at Rosslare Europort.

A high tech scanner was used, uncovering a hidden stash of cannabis worth £250,486.

Ralph’s handler, Denny Lawlor, said: “When Ralph first made the indication we searched the car thoroughly but couldn’t find anything.

“But we trusted Ralph’s judgment so we got the high-tech scanner and found the drugs hidden away in a secret compartment.”

It is believed Ralph is the first dog in Ireland able to detect both cash and drugs, and his crime fighting continued when he found a stash of cannabis hidden away in another car.

Neil added: “We are so happy he is thriving in his new role and using his natural ability to help solve crimes.

“We hope he continues to enjoy his happy new life.”