New Conroe FD K9 sniffing out arson

Conroe fire investigators now have an arson-detecting K9 of their own, thanks to a hot deal the department scored with a grant foundation earlier this year.

Pearl – a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever – was added to the Conroe Fire Marshal's Office arsenal in May. She will help arson investigators pick up on "accelerants" at fire scenes (gasoline, lighter fluid, etc.), if any are suspected, which will cut down their investigation time significantly, officials said.

Pearl will be handled by Conroe Fire Department Lt. Branden Ferrell, who recently spent four weeks in Maine conducting an extensive 200-hour training course on how to handle arson dogs. Ferrell's training and Pearl were donated by State Farm's Arson Dog Program.

"It's an additional tool," Ferrell said. "We're growing in the city. It's time we have it."

Once a fire is suspected to be an arson case, investigators on scene can request Ferrell bring Pearl out to sniff for any accelerants once firefighters have put out the blaze. She'll walk through the scene, nose down to the ground, trying to pick up on anything nefarious.

If she gets a hit on an accelerant, Ferrell said, she will start acting differently, whether it's straightening her tail, whipping her head or any other out-of-the-ordinary behavior. She's trained to follow the scent until she finds its highest concentration, which is when she'll plop down on the ground telling Ferrell she found what could likely turn into key evidence for an arrest and conviction.

"She narrows down our investigation," Ferrell said. "She cuts down the time it takes us to work a possible arson case."

Pearl's detection is not the be-all, end-all evidence needed, however. The items on which she picked up a scent are sent to labs for testing and likely then confirmed to contain an accelerant. Conroe Assistant Fire Chief Mike Legoudes said she'll allow fire investigators to work more on their other jobs – building inspections and fire safety programs.

"It'll ultimately help us not only with the investigation of it," Legoudes said, "but it will also help us get to the myriad of other duties these guys have to do."

Pearl requires daily scent-detecting exercises, and, just like any other job, Pearl does get rewarded. Some of her counterparts across the country are rewarded through play time once they pick up on a scent, but Pearl is rewarded with treats each time she makes a hit, which Ferrell hand-feeds to her.

"Your day is around this dog," Ferrell said. "She doesn't even eat out of a bowl. She eats out of my hand. That's the only way she eats."

Although Pearl has yet to see any action in Conroe, she and Ferrell are ready for their first call.