Madison Police Dog Gwen Meets ‘Cause 4 Paws’

For the past six years, Gwen, a black Lab, has spent a significant part of her life "on the job" sniffing out narcotics, pushing that trained and sensitive nose into boxes, bags, backpacks, trunks, storage facilities, and wherever the Connecticut State Police thought there might be illegal drugs. Last week, however, Gwen was roaming back and forth among 24 Polson School 7th and 8th graders-and this time she was using that well-trained nose to nudge a few arms to receive much petting and attention.

Gwen and her trainer, Detective Richard Perron, were visiting Polson's after-school club "Cause 4 Paws." Just two years old, the club was organized by teacher Susan Quinn and has more than two dozen members. Gwen is not the club's first guest. There have been speakers from the Connecticut Humane Society and the Branford Animal Shelter. Later this month, the students will hear from a nature photographer and receive a visit from A Place Called Hope, which is a raptor rehabilitation facility.

"These are students who really want to make a difference," Quinn said.

Last week Gwen was the special guest and the students had a seemingly endless number of questions. Gwen was originally trained by the Connecticut State Police and Perron has been her "partner" for more than six years. She has been on drug searches and busts throughout the state. When Perron retired from the state police and was hired by the Madison Police Department, Gwen came with him. The bond between the partners is strong. After more than six years on the job with the state, she is close to retirement.

Yes, Gwen has been trained to sniff out drugs. She has been "imprinted," as they say, and her abilities are tested each year, Perron explained. She has been imprinted to detect six types of drugs: cocaine, crack, heroin, marijuana, ecstacy, and steroids. Gwen demonstrated her skills for the students, who watched her find drugs in the classroom cabinet and in a backpack piled among others on the floor. She also found drug-tainted money inside Sara Wenzel's Uggs. In each of these cases, the drugs had been planted, of course, by Perron.

Students were just as interested in Gwen's life off the job. Where does she live? With Perron and his family.

"When she's at home, she is a house pet," the detective explained.

Easy for these students to understand as they gave Gwen plenty of attention.

Cause 4 Paws has undertaken several projects, including making no-sew fleece blankets for shelters. This week the club will make gourmet dog biscuits that members will sell as a fundraising effort.