Company rents drug dogs to parents
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Police use K-9s every day, but a narcotics dog named Honda is trained for private use and she's the newest weapon in the fight against opioids.
Honda can sniff drugs in a matter of seconds and alerts her handler, Chris Itnyre. Itnyre runs K-9 Protection and Detection.
He brings Honda into businesses, halfway houses, and most recently into private homes.
"It's a lot of concerned parents, most of them are moms. The moms call because they're concerned their kids are bringing narcotics in their house," Itnyre told WBAL.
Honda will sniff out any drugs in the home for $150.
Itnyre says it's quicker and much more thorough than a parent searching on their own.
"The only way you're going to find it is with a dog. We find stuff in AAA batteries, cigarette packs, rolled up socks. Unless you've got a whole entire day to go through every article in the room, you're not going to find it. The dog will come in and two three minutes can find it and move on," said Itnyre.
Itnyre marks any hits with blue tape and lets the homeowner deal with the situation.
Scott Dehorty, the executive director of Maryland house detox, says the next step should be an immediate call to professionals for help and advice.
Dehorty recommended that parents confront their child as soon as possible, saying the opioid epidemic has claimed too many lives to wait or be concerned about breaking a child's trust.
"There was a point in time where I would see this service and as a therapist maybe shy away from it. We're in a different time now," said Dehorty.
Itnyre said he hopes that with Honda's help, he can save lives and help put an end to the opioid epidemic.
"If we can catch the kids at a young age and show them that there's a different route besides just getting high, that there's more fun things to do, we can nip it in the bud," Itnyre said.
For more information on K-9 protection and detection, go to the website nocontraband.com.
