Homeland security menagerieK-9's trained to detect pirated music

Rocko the police dog may have a degree in criminal science, but for all his brains he has nothing on Flo and Lucky, two black labrador retreivers recently deployed to Malaysia as part of joint effort between the Motion Picture Association (which despises piracy) and the government of Malyasia (which seeks a new trade agreement with the United States). Raised in Northern Ireland by a noted trainer of police dogs, the pair make up the first canine unit capable of detecting not drugs or weapons but pirated music. “No one’s ever trained dogs to sniff polycarbonate before,” Mike Ellis told reporters. “These dogs were taken from scratch and trained how to sniff these chemicals.” Of course, they cannot distinguish between legal and illegal compact discs, but the skill will be useful in finding contraband merchandise hidden in unexpected places.

One possible headache: black labs are not suited for Malaysian climes, and much of Flo and Lucky’s work involves patrolling airports and cargo centers. Handler Dave Mayberry, however, says he thinks his charges can handle the challenge. “They have a very thick coat for the cold weather at home,” he said. “The longer they stay here, the thinner that will get.”