Drug Detection Dogs April, Astra and Cougar were born and bred by the Australian Customs Narcotic Detection Dogs breeding program in Melbourne.
After completing the Australian Customs puppy walker scheme, they passed all testing to become Drug Detection Dogs. The next phase of training for the puppies was the basic drug detection course undertaken by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) K9 unit in Canberra.
Senior Constable Tyron Bellman and Senior Constable Luke Lamb have joined the Darwin Dog Operations Unit, and attended the AFP K9 training facility in Canberra for 10 weeks, returning with five new dogs. Two dogs, Wilson and Yeti, have been posted to Alice Springs. April, Astra and Cougar will remain in Darwin.
Drug Detection Dog Cougar has been re-teamed with Senior Constable Richard O’Brien who will retire his operational Drug Detection Dog, Puma, sometime next year.
The Dog Operation Unit Instructor, Sergeant David Young, recently completed the re-teaming of Wilson and Yeti in Alice Springs, and has spent the last week in Darwin with the AFP Instructors completing the training for April, Astra and Cougar.
Labradors April, Astra and Cougar are all two years of age. They have been trained to locate methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.
“All five new dogs have shown impressive skill in drug detection and I am very pleased with the quality of these dogs,” said Sergeant David Young.
“April, Astra and Cougar have adapted well from the pristine environment of the AFP K9 training facility in Canberra to the Darwin environment, acclimatising to the humidity and heat without any issues.
“The heat and humidity is a big factor at the moment and the dogs are working extremely well. All going to plan these dogs will be able to serve the Darwin and remote areas of the Northern Territory for the next six to seven years and will potentially detect many illegal substances.”
April, Astra and Cougar will complete their NT Police induction training this week, officially graduating at the rank of Drug Detection Dog, attached to the Darwin Dog Operations Unit.
