Dog Named Goose on Frontline Against Fentanyl

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Joseph Arcia and his partner Goose, a six year-old golden retriever dog, patrol incoming traffic to the United States from Mexico as they work along the San Ysidro border in San Diego, California, U.S., May 29, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake

SAN DIEGO, July 13 (Reuters) – One of America’s most valuable defenders against fentanyl trafficking at the Mexico border uses his nose to root out illicit drugs, an old-school technique that authorities say is a key to reducing the flow of deadly synthetic opioids.

Goose, an enthusiastic Golden Retriever dog, weaves through a sea of idling cars on a warm afternoon at San Diego’s massive legal border crossing, one of the most transited in the world with roughly 100,000 people entering the U.S. each day.

The border crossing is open around the clock and dogs contend with exhaust fumes, hot pavement and unpredictable workdays that can go from routine to tense in seconds.

Now Goose and his handler, customs officer Joseph Arcia, trek inside to demonstrate to Reuters how the six-year-old canine can sniff out his training chew toy among the throngs of pedestrians crossing into the U.S. on foot, replicating what he and other dogs do to detect fentanyl and other contraband daily.

The Golden Retriever is one of 536 U.S. Customs and Border Protection canines trained to sniff out drugs, guns, ammunition, money and hidden passengers at America’s land border crossings, airports and seaports. The rise of illicit fentanyl and the epidemic of related overdoses prompted CBP to take the then-unprecedented step in 2017 of training drug-sniffing dogs to detect it, a program that has proved crucial to the agency’s efforts.

Despite millions of dollars in technology that allows CBP to scan vehicles and data analytics that help target possible smugglers, a dog’s sense of smell remains a vital tool for uncovering fentanyl and other narcotics.