Today, the students at Tomarata School were privileged enough to have two drug dogs

come to our school. Their names were Miller and Titan, and their handlers names were

Dan and Renee.

The Drug Dogs Visit

Titan and Miller

Titan and Miller are drug dogs especially trained to sniff out drugs at places like airports and ports.

What Drug Dogs Do

Drug Dogs are dogs that are given or bought by the airport because of their hyper-active nature. They are trained by a chosen handler for about three months, and when the dog is ready, they and their handlers become great companions in the constant battle to stop drugs crossing New Zealand's borders.

Why drugs are so badAnother term for a drug is something that

messes with your head. Whether it kills the pain, or makes you want more, there are good drugs and there are bad drugs.

Bad Drugs

Bad drugs leave you screwed up and wanting more. 100 grams can cost about $100,000 dollars, and the only reason people buy this stuff, is because they’re addictive. Bad drugs are sorted into three categories, Class A, Class B and Class C. Class C have drugs like cannabis, that aren’t as bad for you, where as Class A drugs (like heroine) are really bad. But don’t be fooled, Class C drugs will still mess with your head- so don’t try them.

How they react

When a drug dog sniffs out drugs in a bag or on a person, they have to react in a certain way so their handlers can tell they’ve found something. A Passive Drug Dog (like Titan) will sit and stare at the place where the drugs are concealed until the handler realizes something's there. But when an Active Drug Dog (such as Miller) finds drugs, they will scratch at the place where they think the drugs are.

Very, Very Clever

Dogs noses are about 14,000 times stronger than ours, which means they can detect drugs easily, even through several layers.

They are trained to learn the scent of several different drugs, and how to react once they’ve found them. Drug Dogs are usually hyper, and love to play with their toys or rags, and know that once they’ve detected drugs, get to have a quick play as a reward, before getting to work again. Drug Dogs are very, very clever.