Police officer Joshua Leon, Piper’s handler, was with her when she found the alleged shooter. “The dog has to work through all that,” Ehrlich said. LAPD’s program has been adjusted to fit into its urban area with people, cars, trees and tents. “Typically, those dogs are from the South and they are back in wooded areas where there is a lot of grass and dirt and trees, so all those scents stick and a dog will just go for miles and miles.” “Bloodhounds will literally trail for miles in the right environment,” Ehrlich said. LAPD uses bloodhounds because their ability to detect scents for a longer time is much greater than other breeds.
“In-N-Out is probably her favorite cheeseburger,” Ehrlich said. Sometimes Piper gets to wolf down a cheeseburger after a successful find, but that’s not often because it’s a very special treat. Piper is one of several dogs used by LAPD not only to hunt down suspects, but drugs and critical missing people like those experiencing dementia and Alzheimer or children with autism who go missing and can’t find their way back. Skin rafts are made up of our skin cells, hygiene products, bacteria, fungus, parasites, sweat, hormones and enzymes.
