dog.jpgDogs are a man’s best friend. They are also a pirate’s worst enemy. Two black Labrador retrievers have been trained to sniff out pirated discs in Asian countries where contravention of copyright rules is on the rise. The dogs treat it like a game where they receive a reward after finding the discs. They associate the scent of discs with their reward, a tennis ball to play with. But there is a US$14,300 bounty on their heads.

The trained retrievers, Flo and Lucky, were first tested at Stanstead Airport in England to gauge their ‘professionalism’. Lucky found a scent on a parcel from China and officials opened it only to find cans of meat inside. But they dug deeper and found a disc inside an envelope. Their worth is proven. The dogs have been trained for four months at a cost of US$18,000.

The dogs have different personalities much like human beings. Flo is smaller in size and shyer. She is quieter and more focused when sniffing out a scent. Lucky, on the other hand, is larger, more boisterous and playful. Lucky loves muddy water and will roll and enjoy herself in a puddle. They are loveable dogs which also happen to catch criminals.