That ad was the start of a wonderful adventure for Karen and Yogi Bear of Washington, Va. On May 13, 1999, Debbie Wingate and Laurie Eyring from the canine training center brought them a 9-week-old black Labrador Retriever puppy named "Angus." Karen, Angus' foster mom, recalls her first sight of the puppy: "He was a rolly polly black lab and we were excited to be a part of a new U.S. Customs program."

Photo Credit: James Tourtellotte

Angus, star of the Customs canine breeding program.

The Bear's job as foster parents was to socialize Angus. They took him everywhere with them and introduced him to all kinds of noises, items, and situations. They introduced him to vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, and other animals. They familiarized him with getting in and out of automobiles, and made sure that Angus met all types of people, especially children. When they took him to the local Sheriff's Department to introduce him to the deputies, Angus had his first introduction to wooden stairs. He had no trouble going up them, but hesitated a little when it was time to go down. When Angus went to the airport he rode on an escalator for the first time and received a lot of attention from the employees. He enjoyed their attention but was more interested in the luggage conveyer belt: he wanted to get on it. A baggage handler came over with a cart full of luggage and Angus had to inspect all the bags. He knew what he was going to do when he grew up!

During the year he spent with Karen and Yogi, Angus returned to the training center at Front Royal, Va., for three days each month. He spent his time there being tested and trained. "One time he had just come back from Customs and he started tearing things up. I called Customs to tell them what he was doing and that he had never done this before. I found out that his lesson for this month was how to find a white reward towel that had been hidden in a box," says Karen. She adds that foster parents have to be very careful about correcting the dogs, "You may be trying to stop them from doing something that Customs is going to want them to do later on."

Photo Credit: Karen Bear

Angus enjoys Christmas day with the Bears' daughter-in-law, grandchild, son, and best canine friend Bailey (foreground).

When Angus returned to the canine training center to be matched with a handler and to start his training, it was very hard for Karen and Yogi to give him up. "We have to constantly keep telling ourselves that they're not our dogs, they were never our dogs," says Karen. "I think Customs has figured us out; when we return a dog, we leave with a new puppy."

Angus was the first of three puppies that the Bears have raised for U.S. Customs. Their second dog, a yellow Lab named "Ethan," is waiting to start his training; and "Felix," a black Lab, will be returning to the training center at the end of May.

Angus was part of the first training class for passive currency detector dogs and is presently stationed with his handler, Jeff Daft, in Houston, Tex. Karen and Yogi were even asked to be a part of Angus' training. They were part of the group of "passengers" waiting to board an aircraft. When Angus got to them, he looked up with a smile as if to say "look at me!" and continued on to inspect the rest of the waiting passengers. In his first month on the job Angus had 20 finds totaling $446,000. To date he has 50 finds totaling $1.08 million.

Karen sums up her feelings on being part of a foster family: "We have two small grandsons, and by being part of this program we feel we are playing a small part in the effort to stop drugs from coming into this country."

Angus is turning out to be the star of the U.S. Customs Service breeding program. He was featured in an article in the November 2000 issue of U.S. Customs Today and is also in the 2001 Canine Weekly Planner for the month of November.

If you would like information on the foster parent program, contact Mike Bashford, Canine Training Center, Front Royal, Va., at (540) 631-2662.