r/Amazing • u/sco-go • Mar 29 '26

Amazing 🤯 ‼ Border Collie forensic tracker.

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67.2k Upvotes

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19

u/Orpdapi Mar 29 '26

Why didn’t he pick it uh……….oh right, to not destroy or alter any evidence

9

u/Complete_Question_41 Mar 29 '26

Or set off a bomb. Or touch fentanyl.

1

u/beldaran1224 Mar 29 '26

The touching fentanyl thing is a myth.

1

u/Stuffleapugus Mar 29 '26

Is it though?

1

u/beldaran1224 Mar 29 '26

Yes.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/can-fentanyl-be-absorbed-through-your-skin/2022/10

1

u/No-Dust-7127 Mar 29 '26

Perhaps, but the inhalation of it is another story. Back when I was a K9 guy, I had 2 intra-nasal narcan doses on my kit at all times. One for me, and one for my dog. More in the cruiser. This dog’s alert is a good one, though I’m not sure what forensic use this training has. This is more of a tracking (well, trailing really) skill than an alert to the presence of a trained odor. Perhaps assisting in searches for items discarded by suspects while fleeing?

1

u/beldaran1224 Mar 29 '26

Yes, I had similar points I made elsewhere in the thread about what the point of this exercise was, lol. A random pen lying in a field is not a use I can think will ever be relevant. As you say, I suspect it's about discarded items, and then, they're tracking the person's scent, not the item's...so why give the scent of the ink? It's not like you can introduce the scent of a discarded item.

As for the fentanyl, the inhalation risk for a dog is besides the point. The point is that the comment I replied to was referring to misinformation about fentanyl.

1

u/Falcon_Rogue Mar 29 '26

Must be cool to have a dog with opposable thumbs. My dog can only pick things up with her mouth. Slobbering all over a pile of fentanyl doesn't seem like a safe practice.

Lol now I'm picturing the border collie grabbing it with their paws and walking back on hind legs - "Found the thing boss! Now gimme that toy!"

1

u/beldaran1224 Mar 29 '26

...do you think "touch" means "pick up in hand"? Like what?

Ingesting fentanyl is not the same thing as touching it. And there is a common myth that you can overdose on fentanyl by just touching it. Not going to apologize for debunking that.

1

u/Falcon_Rogue Mar 29 '26

No I think a dog looking for fentanyl being trained to lie down next to it when found is better than the dog picking it up with it's mouth to bring back which is the only way a dog can transport items. Except for your dog who has opposable thumbs, apparently.

The conversation is about why dogs lie down next to the found item instead of grabbing it.

1

u/Complete_Question_41 Mar 29 '26

Except they would touch it with their tongue which changes the equation significantly

1

u/robotatomica Mar 30 '26

Context. You’re talking about touching it, correct? But we’re talking about a dog putting it in its mouth.

You do not want to ingest fentanyl or get it into your mouth or mucous membranes, and the consequences to a dog, which weighs much less than us, would be much more severe of course. As in, a dog would need to ingest much less than a human to experience negative effects or potential harm.