A New Zealand Customs drug and cash detector dog is heading into retirement after six years of service and the discovery of more than $250,000 of cash and more than 40kg of class A drugs.
Golden Labrador Indy worked across different Customs areas including the International Mail Centre, Auckland International Airport, as well as checking arriving and departing yachts.
She has also involved in the Police DARE programme, which teaches children and young people about avoiding illegal drugs and making sensible choices.
Born on July 12, 2009, Indy came from the Australian Customs breeding programme in Melbourne.
She started working in New Zealand in December 2010 with her handler, senior customs officer, Chad Golding and throughout her career she increased her drug detecting capability through regular training and also learned to sniff for significant amounts of cash.
Within a few months, Indy proved herself by finding 3kg of Contac NT, a methamphetamine precursor, hidden inside a package from Hong Kong at Auckland’s International Mail Centre.
This result was the first of many significant finds for Indy which included more than 40kg of class A drugs, 26kg of class B drugs, 1.5kg cannabis, and more $250,000 in cash.
“The highlight for me would be her Class A drug detection on passengers at the airport — it’s such a challenging environment,” says Golding.
In 2016, Indy and Golding won the regional dog trials then went on to win the National Police Dog Championship.
Both competitions test the skills of drug detector teams with a variety of scenarios encountered in the day-to-day working environment.
Indy took the top prize for narcotic detection winning the Alan Symes Cup for best working narcotics detector dog and the New Zealand Customs Cup for class A narcotics detection.
“Having the opportunity to compete against New Zealand’s best drug detector teams and taking first place was an excellent way to show off the top dog skills Indy gained,” says Golding.
“Indy has such a good temperament and is so hardworking and obedient. She has been a credit to Customs, and I couldn’t have asked for a better canine partner,” he says.
Retirement for Indy means spending more time at home with Golding and his family and getting out whenever she can to play at the local park and beach.
“I’m sure retirement will take a bit of getting used to for Indy, but I’ll keep her busy and she will soon adjust to spending her days lying in the sun,” says Golding.
