Kathleen Donnelly in the Spotlight

Working with an Undercover Agent

During my time as a K-9 handler with Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines, I had the opportunity to work with an undercover agent. We teamed up for six years to keep schools safe and this little agent changed many lives—mine included. At fifteen pounds, his undercover outfit included tan and white fur, an inquisitive stare and a fantastic nose. Sparky was a Russell Terrier and he was one of the best K-9s I ever partnered with.

Sherlock Hounds was specifically created with the goal of keeping schools safe by helping to deter drugs, alcohol and gunpowder using non-intimidating dogs. When Sparky was donated to our program, we knew he fit the non-intimidating criteria, but in his mind he was very tough.

Sparky would strut into schools with a “I’m watching you” expression. He became my most requested dog when a school thought they had contraband on campus. Although there were a few “doubters” about his ability to be a narcotics K-9.

One was a school resource officer. He saw us arrive and started laughing. Of course, he was used to the typical police K-9 breeds such as a Malinois or German Shepherd.

“That’s not a drug dog,” he said. “That dog can’t find anything.”

Sparky tilted his head at him, his expression clearly stating—just you wait and see.

Being Sparky’s interpreter, I said, “You’ve made him mad. Look out. You’ll be doing lots of extra paperwork today.”

The officer didn’t know what to say and I had no idea why I answered the way I did. I never knew on any given day if we would find something or not. That day, Sparky busted three kids—an unusual occurrence. The cop agreed that he was a good drug dog. In fact, that officer became one of Sparky’s biggest fans and, once Sparky forgave him, they became friends.

A few years later, Sherlock Hounds was asked to start working at an alternative school. Many of the students had been expelled from area districts and were either on parole or serving a sentence that allowed them to come from juvenile detention for the day. I originally brought in one of our bigger Labs, but the kids were not responding well to him. I thought that maybe for these kids, the Lab seemed like too much of a police dog. I wanted my message to be clear—I wasn’t a police officer and my goal was to help them gain an education where contraband wasn’t a part of their school day. I decided that I would bring Sparky for our next visit.

The first day I brought Sparky in, one of the kids said, “That’s not a drug dog.”

Sparky gave him “the look” and went over to his backpack, alerted on it and then stared the kid down.

The kid said some choice words and then as he gave the principal his stash and paraphernalia said, “I guess he is a drug dog.”

The funny thing is the kids at this school loved Sparky even though he constantly busted them. They told me that they wanted to change because of him. Sparky inspired them—maybe because they saw a little dog doing a job that no one thought he should or could. I hoped it showed them that if they stuck with their education and goals, they too could have careers no one thought they could.

I’m often asked about breeds used for K-9 work. My answer is always it depends on the agency and what they need from the K-9. For example, if you’re talking about a dog used for law enforcement purposes, the most common breeds are the intimidating ones like a Malinois, German Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd, etc. Labs are also used depending on the agency and the job. But I always love telling people about Sparky and how our program was able to utilize him as our undercover agent.

Sparky lived to the ripe old age of seventeen and when he crossed the rainbow bridge, one of the principals I worked with said, “There will never be another Sparky.”

I agree…but what I wouldn’t give to have another undercover agent.

Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly is a retired K-9 handler and writes the National Forest K-9 series. The National Forest K-9 series audio box set will be released on March 4^th. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged friends. Visit Kathleen's website for more information and sign up for her newsletter and find links to her social media at kathleendonnelly.com.