Chicago Police Officer, Steve Martinez was investigating a Chicago area animal shelter… He had not been assigned to the case as this was a personal pursuit – Strange, no crime had been committed at all but yet this officer was in hot pursuit. Why was this personal investigation so important to this officer? More importantly, why spend anytime looking into the shelter? After all, there was no reputation of foul play in the shelter!

Well, Officer Steve Martinez was not looking for criminal or shady activity but rather he was searching for his new partner. Steve was looking for a candidate for a narcotics detection canine.

His diligent search led him to a young black Labrador retriever named Pantera who had been surrendered to the shelter after his owner’s landlord banned pets from the building where they lived.

Searching shelters for service dogs… What a great idea… Actually the officer can’t take al the credit as the animal shelter suggested to the officer that he take a look to see if the department had any interest in using the dog.

Officer Martinez made four separate trips to observe the temperament of the11-month-old pup. Then based on Pantera’s “high degree of maturity and strong drive” he paid the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League the $98 adoption fee and made Pantera his new partner.

On November 5th, five months latter, Pantera was introduced to the public in a press conference as the city’s newest and youngest certified narcotics detection canine. Pantera is now fully trained as a narcotics canine and he and Officer Martinez have been assigned to the Chicago Police Department’s Organized Crime Division.

They have been working the streets together and they have already recovered evidence in a drug case and helped carry out several search warrants.

Pantera’s success has changed the way the department recruits narcotics canines. Now the Chicago Police Department plans to make the adoption of rescued dogs a new trend when they are recruiting police canines. Before Pantera was discovered in a shelter the department used turned to expensive breeders for their dogs. It looks as if many more potential narcotics dogs will be discovered in Chicago’s animal shelters… WTG Pantera!!!!