Charity: Summit means we can’t recruit a colleague for drugs-busting dog

Zoe the sniffer dog has been a huge success but Orkney’s crimefighters are struggling to recruit a canine colleague because of Cop26.

The demand for dogs to sniff out explosives at the climate change summit and the soaring price of puppies is hampering efforts to double the dog team after Zoe, a Labrador, sniffed out more than £88,000 of drugs last year.

The Orkney Drugs Dog charity’s annual report to March reveals Zoe helped recover cannabis worth £72,236, cocaine valued at £9,430, tablets at £6,532 and heroin worth £610.

Now the charity wants a second dog to work alongside Zoe to specialise in detecting drugs sent through the post. Andrew Drever, chairman of Orkney Drugs Dog, said a second dog would help build more “resilience” into the operation as it would have different search techniques to Zoe.

However, he said it was proving difficult to find an extra dog because the price had soared in the pandemic, and Cop26 in Glasgow in November was increasing the demand to find animals trained in explosive searches.

Dog shortage

“The price of dogs has increased dramatically with the Covid pandemic and there’s a shortage caused by the demand for Cop26,” he said.

“It has caused us a few problems in finding a dog. We will not need to take on another handler – he can cope with both dogs – but it will cost us between £3,500 and £10,000 plus VAT to get a dog.

“Zoe’s haul this past year has shown just how valuable she has been and sadly the scale of the problem. In the pandemic many more drugs are coming in the post.”

UK runs out of sniffer dogs as security steps up before Cop26

Drever said the year had highlighted its fragility as a charity as fundraising both locally and nationally has seen limited opportunities.

He said: “We are pleased to say that there are several strong supporters who have continued to donate in-kind services and monetary donations throughout the year and, together with members’ fundraising activities, I’m pleased to report that we have raised £3,831.

“We have engaged the services of a local fundraiser and plan to resume fundraising activity by expanding our online profile and hold events.”

Zoe’s mission

Zoe and handler Kevin Moar also visit Orkney’s schools helping educate young people. Orkney Drugs Dog was formally launched in October 2017 and Zoe became operationally licensed in May 2019.

Since then, Zoe has been deployed throughout Orkney, conducting scans of people at ports of entry as well as mail and freight checks and assisting Police Scotland in the execution of search warrants.

A similar sniffer dog patrol initiative has operated on Orkney’s northerly neighbours of Shetland since 2001 in an effort to safeguard the islands from the growing problem of illegal drugs.

Its leaders advised campaigners on Orkney about setting up their own scheme. The annual running costs are between £55,000 and £60,000.

The job is perfect for Moar, who returned to his native Orkney for the role.

Moar was in the RAF Police for 27 years, all but two of these working with dogs.

He was also a former patrol and search dog instructor and trainer for the MoD.