And now we meet one of Taiwan’s latest dog detectives! Wafer is the country’s first electronics sniffer dog. The canine copper was donated to Taiwan from the U.S. and has already cracked five cases since September. Each day Wafer is trained by one of its handlers and then taken for a walk to let off steam. We caught up with the Third Special Police Corps to see what a day in the life of a sniffer dog is like.

The police pooch sniffs around in a pile of objects, following hand gestures from his handler and searching diligently. Wafer is Taiwan’s first electronics sniffer dog.

He’s found his target and wags his tail excitedly. The device was hidden in a pile of boxes, no match for Wafer’s keen nose.

Wang Chung-hsiang
Dog handler, Third Special Police Corps
In more difficult cases, the device is somewhere high up or hidden in an enclosed space, so that only a tiny bit of scent can get out. Of course, it takes a longer search sometimes, but he will still find it.

Three-year-old Wafer was donated to the force by a U.S. NGO. It was trained up in the U.S. for one month, before coming to Taiwan in August 2023. In September he entered active duty. He’s looked after by a rotating team of two handlers, and every morning he clocks in like any office worker, heading into the station with one of his handlers. He completes a sniffer test twice a day, and so far he’s helped crack five real cases.

Wang Chung-hsiang
Dog handler, Third Special Police Corps
Usually, before they come to Taiwan, their main goal has been money laundering cases. They just do a little bit of training each day. If they go out on a case, they can’t work for too long at a time. Generally four hours is the maximum.

As Wafer stands in a pool, he looks very happy. After finishing a hard day’s work, his handlers always take him to play in the water or for a long walk to shake off his exhaustion. The arrival of sniffer dogs brings police officers a great support, and gives these dogs a practical way to hone their impressive skills.

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