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Lab sniffs out accelerants used in fires Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Kent, a 6-year-old Labrador retriever that detects fire accelerants, lets OSP detective Mo Austin know he has found a test substance during a training session. Retriever earns his pay with his nose and is one of only four such dogs working on the West Coast By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune In lieu of becoming a guide dog, Kent nosed his way into a new career. The yellow Labrador retriever, who turns 6 years old on Valentine's Day, sniffs out accelerants at fire scenes, helping Oregon State Police detectives determine if fires involve arson. One of four accelerant-detection canines on the West Coast, Kent was paired with Oregon State Police detective Mo Austin four years ago when state police saw a need for an arson dog in Southern Oregon. The team investigates suspicious fires in seven Oregon counties and assists with cases around the state. The Portland OSP office also has an arson dog. Others on the West Coast live with the Los Angeles and King County fire departments. The dogs are trained by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, which has placed about 50 canines around the country to find accelerants, narcotics and explosive devices. The cost for employing an arson dog at the Central Point OSP office is minimal, Austin said. Kent consumes about $500 per year in food, rationed in proportion to his weight. The Lab's yearly certification exam costs about $2,000. Austin, who is responsible for all of Kent's training, said he spends about 10-25 percent of his time at work handling the dog. Kent - who couldn't pass his guide-dog exams because he was too easily distracted - puts his nose to the grindstone when it comes to finding flammable liquids. "He doesn't have a bad day, because that's the only way he eats," said Austin. When Kent identifies a liquid from one of 11 categories of petroleum products, he sits and puts his snout on it - more than once if Austin needs to make sure he's actually pointing to something. Each time he performs this trick, Kent gets a mouthful of food right out of Austin's hand. Eating is Kent's reward, so no one but the detective is allowed to feed him. Food is the best incentive because the odors arson dogs are trained to find are extremely unpleasant, Austin said. At a fire scene, Kent's acute sense of smell helps detectives determine where to take evidence samples that are sent to the OSP crime lab for identification. It's not Kent's work that determines whether a fire is arson - detectives use evidence to make that judgment. Kent, Austin stresses, is a tool - a tool that Austin always keeps handy. "He's like my partner," Austin said. "He sleeps under my desk; he's got seven beds, actually." The duo has another three years together. After he turns 9, the BATF won't re-certify Kent for accelerant detection because the chance that older dogs fail to find a flammable liquid seems to increase, Austin said. But Kent will live out his days with Austin. And the dog, who's literally earned every mouthful of chow for five years, can expect a big bag of Atta Boy to celebrate his retirement. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.