{"id":1154,"date":"2012-01-30T10:50:30","date_gmt":"2012-01-30T17:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2012-01-30T10:50:30","modified_gmt":"2012-01-30T17:50:30","slug":"california-welcomes-dozer-our-newest-detector-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2012\/01\/30\/california-welcomes-dozer-our-newest-detector-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"California Welcomes Dozer, Our Newest Detector Dog"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dozer<\/a>

Dozer with his handler, Jennifer Berger<\/p><\/div>\n

Dozer the detector dog has reported for duty!<\/strong>\u00a0 He brings our total to 13 dogs throughout the state that spend their working hours sniffing around package-delivery facilities, detecting parcels that contain fruits, vegetables, plants and other agricultural materials.\u00a0 These dogs protect California\u2019s citizens and its agriculture from harmful pests, diseases and weeds that could otherwise sneak into our state and cause dangerous and expensive infestations and outbreaks.<\/p>\n

Dozer, a three-year-old Labrador retriever mix, came to us from Atlanta Lab Rescue.\u00a0 All of the dogs in the California Agriculture Detector Dog Program are rescued dogs. Dozer arrived in California earlier this month to begin his assignment with his handler, Jennifer Berger with the Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner\u2019s Office.\u00a0 He works at various shipping facilities in the Sacramento Valley area.\u00a0 Jennifer reports that Dozer is a remarkably strong and determined dog who loves to chew on a big Nylabone as they ride to work.\u00a0 When he\u2019s off the clock, he likes to tug on his \u201cKong Wubba\u201d toy and fetch a ball.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s program currently consists of 13 dog-handler teams in nine counties; Alameda (one team), Contra Costa County (two teams), Fresno (one team), Los Angeles (two teams), Sacramento (one team), San Bernardino (two teams), San Diego (two teams), San Joaquin (one team) and Santa Clara County (one team).\u00a0 The teams also travel to neighboring counties to cover additional areas. Photos of the other dogs as well as our video \u201cThe Nose Knows\u201d are available online at http:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/plant\/dogteams\/index.html<\/a>. The program is a cooperative effort between the United States Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the County Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association.<\/p>\n

Since the program began in 2006, the dog teams have intercepted thousands of mislabeled or otherwise illegal packages, including shipments containing more than 360 actionable insect and weed pests.\u00a0A few of their significant interceptions are:<\/p>\n