PHOEBE, a Sprocker Spaniel, was taken in by Green Acres Animal Rescue last year but is now assisting Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, the Police and Trading Standards throughout the UK.
During December sniffer dog Phoebe, together with her trainer and handler Stuart Phillips, took part in several operations trying to locate counterfeit and illicit tobacco and cigarettes.
During a two day operation with West Sussex Trading Standards, Phoebe located over 5Kgs of illegal cigarettes and tobacco, which would not have been located had it not been for Phoebe. Shops in Brighton, Chichester and Worthing were visited by Trading Standards Officers, and Phoebe and Stuart were brought in to assist with a thorough search of the shops and their store rooms.
In one shop visited the owners had designed and built a special hiding space to conceal the illegal tobacco which would be sold resulting in thousands of pounds of lost tax revenue. Without Phoebe, the illegal tobacco would not have been found.
In a second operation with Hampshire Trading Standards and Police and Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs Phoebe located over 4.5Kgs of illegal tobacco being sold at a Sunday market. On this occasion Phoebe was required to search market stalls and vehicles and yet again she was able to sniff out illegal tobacco with a street value of nearly £2000 and amounted to over £800 in lost tax revenue.
Stuart Phillips, from Pembrokeshire based B.W.Y CANINE who trained and works with Phoebe, said, “I’m over the moon with Phoebe, she’s turned out to be an amazing sniffer dog and is a very valuable tool in the fight against illegal tobacco in the UK. To think that she came from Green Acres Rescue and is now a very successful search dog is amazing. Phoebe loves her job but she also loves coming home to Pembrokeshire and having a good run and a swim at Newgale beach”.
In the lead up to Christmas, Stuart and his sniffer dogs have been taking part in various operations throughout the UK searching for illegal tobacco and drugs and B.W.Y CANINE is very much regarded as a leading supplier of specialist search dogs to private companies, local authorities and several police services.
Add Comment