Bristol County Sheriff’s Office first in U.S. to have COVID-detecting K9s

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WLNE) – The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office is now the first law enforcement organization in the U.S. to have COVID-detecting K9s.

Two canine teams are now trained in coronavirus detection: Capt. Paul Douglas and his partner Huntah, and Officer Theodore Santos and his partner Duke.

Huntah is a 9-month-old female black lab, and Duke is a 9-month-old male golden retriever/lab mix.

The COVID detection training program was developed at Florida International University’s International Forensic Research Institute. Officials in the program used medical masks worn by COVID-positive patients for training odors. The contagious part of the virus was killed by ultraviolet light, making the masks safe to use as training tools.

“This is all science,” Capt. Douglas said during a small canine graduation ceremony on Wednesday. “This program was developed by professors, doctors and scientists at FIU, and we couldn’t be more proud or excited to execute it here in Bristol County.”

FIU currently uses canines to detect COVID on its campus. The dogs are also able to detect advanced variants of the virus.

“It’s best to think of it as a decontamination tool,” Capt. Douglas said. “The dogs can detect the COVID odor on a counter or table if it was recently touched by a COVID-positive individual, or even detect the odor on a tissue used by someone with COVID.”

The Sheriff’s Office emphasizes that the use of the K9 teams is not a substitute for getting a COVID test.

Anyone interested in using the teams at their facility can send a request letter to:

Shefiff Hodgson

400 Faunce Corner Rd

Dartmouth, MA 02747