Based at Customs Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Va., four canine selection officers are responsible for recruiting our four-legged partners. Where do they search for these future heroes? Incredibly, the answer is most often the humble animal shelter, home to America's unwanted dog society. Almost all of the canines accepted into the Customs Service come from adoption row, or even death row.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the canine officer's job is recruiting a canine that is about to be destroyed, and giving it a chance to help in our mission. Canine Enforcement Officer Lisa Kennell explains that some qualities she looks for in a canine are the same qualities that may have gotten it sent to the pound in the first place: "We look for high-energy dogs that are destructive by nature. We want dogs that chew up everything (shoes, sticks, chairs, etc.), dig holes, and wear paths in the yard."

In addition, canine candidates must successfully pass a series of tests. First we test a dog's instinct to retrieve, a trait that cannot be taught. Next we assess the dog's possessiveness: after retrieving a thrown object, does he return it, or play "keep away" or "tug-of-war"? Following these tests, the officer determines whether the dog will retrieve an object from under a vehicle without hesitation, and whether it will dig and scratch to find an object that has been hidden.

Another quality we test is the dog's temperament. Since our dogs work in close proximity with the public, they cannot show any aggression toward people. The dogs must also be between one and three years old, of medium build, and in good health. In addition, the program seeks to recruit Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and German shepherds, since these breeds have the best success rate in training. All other breeds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If the dog meets all of these criteria, its chances of making it through training successfully are good. Dogs that do not make it through training are placed for adoption.

In search of a few good dogs
In order to find dogs that meet these standards, we travel a lot. Canine Enforcement Officer Michael Litwin explains a selection officer's typical routine. "We use one week for planning, research, and preparation," he says. "Then it's time for a road trip to visit shelters in a given geographical area, which can last from one to three weeks and cover two to five thousand miles."

"It's a mutually beneficial relationship between us and the shelters," adds Charlie Harris, the fourth member of the canine selection team. "We get a dog for our program, and they get to see one of their wards welcomed into a new home." On average, we visit over 100 kennels each month to view 5,000 to 10,000 dogs, of which we test approximately 150.

E.P. (Gene) Kerven, Canine Enforcement Program Director, believes that Customs canine selection program is the best in the world. "We save dogs that are going to be destroyed," says Kerven, "and, in turn, use them to save our children from drugs. Once we assume responsibility for a dog we find at a shelter, it will be cared for the rest of its life." If a dog completes Customs training, it will remain with its human partner. When it can no longer work, it lives out its life 'by the fireplace.' If a dog does not make it through training, we find a good home for it with one of the families on our waiting list. While we do accept canine donations from private citizens, for the most part we concentrate on animal shelters for our recruits.

As the drug war rages on, so will the need for canines. When you consider the huge amount of drugs that are detected by our canines each year, it is sobering to think that most of them were on the brink of destruction. If you think that your dog will measure up and you want to donate him or her, or if you know of a likely candidate at an animal shelter near you, please call toll free 1-888-USA-DOG1 and ask for the Canine Selection Division.