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Published on 04/14/1997 All articles from this issue

Dolph, the arson-sniffing dog, knows with his nose

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue

Town Crier Staff Writer

There's only one word for Dolph, the arson-sniffing dog. Amazing.This 5 1/2-year-old 65-pound black Labrador retriever, who works for the Santa Clara County Fire Department, can sniff flammable liquids - like gasoline, kerosene, odorless lamp oil, charcoal lighter - at parts per billion.

"That's not even half a teardrop," said his handler Bill Hardwicke, the chief arson investigator for County Fire.

County Fire has provided fire protection to Los Altos and Los Altos Hills since Dec. 30, 1996, and Dolph has been used twice on fires in this area so far. He wears boots on his feet and a strobe light on his collar when he goes to work.

At the March 27 Beatrice Lane fire in Los Altos Hills, the owner gave permission to have Dolph look around. The fire was accidental but did start in the garage and destroyed a car.

"It took Dolph about two minutes," Hardwicke said. "He found where the gas had leaked (out of the car.) Mostly cars do not blow up. Here you could tell by the burn patterns that the gas leaking was a result of and not a cause of the fire."

Before the city contract with County Fire, Dolph and Hardwicke came to Los Altos, "only if we had time... Now he's your dog."

Dolph's nose is more sensitive than the capabilities of the hand-held electronic detectors currently available, said County Fire Chief Doug Sporleder.

Dolph is one of only 47 certified flammable-liquid sniffing dogs in the country, the first to be federally certified in California.

Now there are two. The other dog works for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Dolph is the only dog in California who is certified by both the feds and the state.

The only other dog in the country who even comes close to Dolph's talents is his brother, Charlie, "the bomb dog out of Washington, D.C."

Dolph travels all over the Bay Area as well as out of state.

"The minute we're called out by ATF (the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms national response team), Dolph's a federal agent and I'm a deputy U.S. Marshal."

Dolph prefers the aisle seat on planes, Hardwicke said, so he can hang his head over and watch people go by.

This dog does not bark, and he only goes to the bathroom on command.

"He hits you with his nose," Hardwicke said, when he needs to go.

A dog like Dolph would cost about $14,000. But Aetna, the insurance company, as part of its arson prevention program, paid for the dog and all the training. The company also pays for the annual re-certification. County Fire picks up the costs for food and day-to-day expenses.

Dolph eats 70 kibbles a day, and it takes him an hour and a half. Hardwicke puts dabs of flammable liquids all over an area. Each time Dolph finds one, he sits next to it and gets two kibbles.

Then Hardwicke says, "Show me," and Dolph plants his wet nose like a bulls-eye onto the spot. That earns two more kibbles.

Dolph is also certified as an expert fire witness in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Hardwicke, who has spent 44 years with fire service, describes the two of them as the new dog - he points to Dolph - and the old dog - he points to himself.

"Dolph will retire in the year 2000. And then I will retire, too."