What the Labrador Retrievers in the video below have in common is impressive:

Recognizing the scent of TPPO (triphenylphosphine oxide), a chemical that coats memory chips to protect them from overheating, is enabling dogs to help solve high-tech crimes that usually involve child exploitation and terrorism.

But why this breed?

First, lets consider the ten most important characteristics that go into a great tracking dog:

• acuity of sense of smell
• incentive to find an object which is out of sight
• health
• tendency to hunt by smell alone
• stamina
• ability to learn from being rewarded
• tendency to be distracted when searching
• agility
• consistency of behavior from day to day
• motivation to chase an object

The majority of dogs that fit this description tend to be herding, sporting, or gun dog breeds, and they include the German Shepherd Dog, English Springer Spaniel, Border Collie, and English Cocker Spaniel. But the astounding scenting abilities of Labrador Retrievers, coupled with their trainability and a zest for food reward makes the Lab an ideal choice for ESD training.

Getting back to “Selma,” whom you just saw in the video (and who was the first electronic storage detection dog in the world), the little lady has worked over 100 cases so far, primarily in child pornography, but also homicides, parolee compliance work, and a hacking case. Her strong nose helped uncover devices in recycling bins, in vents, and in radiators. Meanwhile, her counterpart, “Bear,” has found incriminating storage devices in empty coffee cans, Tupperware containers, and under piles of junk.

There are at least 17 of these ESD programs in the US that are used by local police and the FBI, and at the end of the day, ESDs (Electronic Sniffing Dogs) go home with their handlers with whom they live full time.

Image: The first full class of five ESD dogs that graduated from the Connecticut State Police’s program. Image credit: Connecticut State Police