Hidden stashes of cash will be the next targets of sniffer dogs as the NSW Police prepares to train its newest recruits to find large amounts of hidden notes.
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The NSW Police Dog Unit has announced the birth of seven English springer spaniels and may develop one of the puppies as a cash detection dog.
Cash-finding dogs have been used at border control points to stop the flow of money laundering and the proceeds of crime and NSW Police hope to introduce their own dogs to combat local criminal organisations.
"The springer spaniels are used primarily for detection work and that can be in any disciplines including drugs, firearms, explosives, cadaver, and there's a possibility we will be training a dog in the near future - which could be from this litter, to find large amounts of cash," the Dog Unit's Inspector Adam Johnson said.
"We train them to detect that odour [of cash]. It's something new here but it has been used before in other agencies, international agencies."
The pups' parents are both working detection dogs. Their mother, Bronte, is a cadaver dog and their father, Micky, is used to uncover explosives.
Springer spaniels can work for long periods without sufficient rest due to a high play drive. The new litter is the first of its breed introduced to the NSW Police breeding program and will be used beside the more traditional detection dogs such as Labradors.
The pups will begin a behavioural and socialisation training program at the age of six months before entering a formal training course when they reach about 18 months.
Police are asking members of the public to help them name the seven new puppies, which will be part of the "A" litter. As such, the pups' names must start with the letter A and cannot be more than two syllables long. Names can be suggested via the Dog Unit's Facebook site and names suggested by others can be voted on.
The "puppy poll" will run for three weeks before names are announced in August.
The pups' day-to-day progress can also be tracked online with "puppy cam", streaming live on the NSW Police Force website.