What Happens to Police Dogs When Cannabis Is Legalised?

There is no doubt that legalisation is good news for cannabis users. Some have already tried the sweet taste of consuming marijuana for recreational or medical purposes, and even growing or selling it, as the case may be in some US states.

The new situation also tends to bring several other benefits, such as the creation of new jobs, although there are some that have to adapt to the new scenario. This is the case with many police dogs in those areas which have been trained to sniff out the plant and are forced into unemployment or a job change when regulation arrives.

Dora is a good example. She is a Belgian Shepherd that works in the Roseburg police department in the south of Oregon, and has been involved in around 300 different cases. She is not just outstanding for her sense of smell, but also because her life is devoted to sniffing out the plant, and her daily life is full of games where this is the aim.

The problem for these dogs is that they have grown up and have been trained to detect the plant, mixed with any other type of product or substance. As such, it will now be difficult for the animals to know what is legal and what is not, and it is very possible that when they smell cannabis they will think that they are faced with an illegal situation, even if that is not the case. Therefore, few of them are able to retain their jobs.

The situation is not only difficult for the dogs, but for the human police offers too that have spent such a long time at their side. Travis Dahl, Dora’s companion, has decided to spend some time away from her because he knows that the situation will be difficult for both of them when the time comes to say goodbye. Meanwhile, the police officer will have to grow fond of a new animal that has never been trained to find marijuana.

Despite the nostalgia, the majority of these animals find new homes, others find a new job, and the luckiest among them are granted an early retirement. Giving cannabis a rest also means a break for these adorable animals, and for the first time in history, they will stop persecuting those that do not deserve to be criminalised.