Our detector dog, Hawkeye, is a tan hound and Labrador mix. He is trained to inspect parcels at Fed Ex, UPS, and the US Postal Service in order to detect agricultural products, like seeds, plants, fruits, vegetables, insects, and animals. He alerts his handler to packages containing these items by scratching the parcel. The package is then inspected by an agricultural biologist to determine if the products are allowed entry into California.
Hawkeye began his life as a stray on the streets of Georgia. One day he was spotted by a woman involved with the SPCA and the United States Department of Agriculture’s dog training center in Georgia. She immediately noticed that Hawkeye was very friendly, full of energy, and was “food–driven”. These traits made him a very attractive candidate for training as a detector dog.
A short time later, Hawkeye was taken to the USDA Detector Dog Training School and was trained to alert on five initial fruits: apple, guava, citrus, mango and stone fruits. Hawkeye learned very quickly and graduated at the top of his class. Hawkeye was one of the very lucky stray dogs picked up by the SPCA. He now has a job, a home, and is very well taken care of.
There are many animals like Hawkeye who are in need of good homes. Click on the link below to visit the Santa Clara County Animal Care and Control website to learn about how you can adopt a new friend.