A day in the life of Melba, a highly skilled veteran drug-sniffing dog! He is currently working at Tokyo Customs at Narita and Haneda Airports!

See how they actually work!

Melba’s operating days are about the same as a handler’s, about 5 workdays a week. She says her daily schedule is almost the same as that of a working human.

Melba usually spends her time at the kennel, and her day usually starts with a walk a little after 8:00 a.m. She checks her coat and health, and then begins her work around 9:00 a.m. She checks her fur and health, and starts her work around 9:00 am. He basically has one meal in the evening after work is over. That signals the end of the work day.

Because the work of a drug-sniffing dog requires a great deal of concentration, the dogs conduct investigations that last 10 to 20 minutes, interspersed with breaks and training. On this particular day, they were weaving their way through the overflow of international travelers at the airport, sniffing around for illicit drugs. What does he do in his daily training?

First, we set out cardboard boxes that don’t smell of illicit drugs, and have Melba check around them. Then we have Melba leave the area, and we repeat the training, this time with a cardboard box that smells of illicit drugs, and have her find it. If he finds it, we reward him with a “dummy,” which is a rolled-up towel, and we play tug-of-war, Melba’s favorite game!　I think she learns that if she finds drugs, she will be rewarded for playing with them, and that motivates her.

In the training session that he actually demonstrated, Melba also discovered illicit drugs. His handlers cheered, “Good boy! Good boy!” in a higher-than-necessary voice.

Melba gets fired up when I call out to him in a high voice, so I try to keep that in mind when praising him. When I call out in a high voice, ‘Mel-chan! Melba senses that I’m investigating her, and she gets into work mode. and he gets into work mode.

Melba would be about 60 years old if she were human. He has announced that he will retire this year due to aging, and his first handler will take him in after his retirement.

He has only five months left until his retirement. In order to keep Japan safe, Melba will continue to follow the scent of illicit drugs until his last moment.