During his illustrious career, Wally sniffed out 41,630 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $169 million. One of his most impressive seizures occurred in February 2003 when Wally initiated an enforcement action that resulted in the seizure of a record breaking 20,000 pounds (ten tons) of marijuana, the single largest amount seized on the southwest border. (See “Bust of a lifetime” in the October/November 2003 issue of Customs and Border Protection Today.)

Throughout his active career, Wally has participated in various community events to highlight the hard work of the CBP canine enforcement team. One of his most memorable was in April 2004 when PETCO Inc. and the San Diego Padres hosted a “Tribute to Service Dogs” prior to the Padres-New York Mets game in San Diego. This event showcased the service these dogs provide to their community. Wally was one of three dogs selected to represent CBP. It was a proud moment when the announcer acknowledged the San Diego canine unit with a sound of thunder in the background and a video montage on the ball park’s big screen displaying photos of each handler and their dog to salute their dedication and hard work.

The San Diego Canine Program will truly miss Wally. If we could quote Wally, I’m sure he would say, “It’s been an incredible career, not bad for a dog that once resided in the humane society.” EC

A great dog By Robert Petrin, CBP Officer K-9, San Diego, California In the course of my 17-year career in the U.S. Customs Service and now Customs Border and Protection, I have had the privilege of working with several very good dogs. All of them brought a different perspective and personality to the job. In January of 2000 my assigned dog was nearing retirement age. Sometimes life puts you in the right place at the right time, and this was one of those times. Canine Team Leader Christine Ferro had just recently returned from the Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Va., with her dog Wallace, aka Wally. Soon after that Ferro was promoted to Senior Canine Enforcement Officer and would not be working a dog so I was asked if I would like to retire my current dog and begin working with Wally. A decision that took only a second, because having seen him work, I knew that he would be a good dog. As I began working with Wally, I quickly came to appreciate his abilities and capabilities. Wally was a constant worker and would perform any task asked of him. Inspectors were happy to have him around because of the way he was constantly searching. It has been a privilege to be able to have worked with Wally for these last several years. Every CEO hates to retire a good dog, but the other side of this coin is that Wally retired to my home with a big back yard, and four kids. Wally is enjoying life in the slow lane. “As it turned out Wally was not a good dog, he turned out to be a GREAT DOG! I will miss him at work, but be able to enjoy him at home.” - Robert Petrin