Meth & Marijuana found at Creature Comforts in Pinedale
by Tony Keys
March 16, 2013
Editor’s note and update, 12/17/2022: This story refers to a law enforcement K9 drug training exercise by the Sublette and Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Offices, and Wyoming Highway Patrol, staged at Creature Comforts Pet Shop in Pinedale, Wyoming. No actual illegal activity was occurring at the pet shop. Author Tony Keys, co-owner of the store, contributed this story.
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A half dozen squad cars descended on the Creature Comforts Pet Shop in Pinedale early Wednesday morning loaded with drug dogs from Sublette and Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Offices and the Wyoming Highway Patrol. The cause for this four-legged tour de force? A training exercise organized by Sublette County Deputy Dan McClure.
It was thought that the many distractions within the dog groomer’s pet shop would be a strong test of the canines sleuthing abilities. The distractions included a variety of dogs toys, treats, food, guinea pigs, birds, dog towels and the lingering scent of a ‘skunked’ dog that Ben Davis brought in late Tuesday afternoon.
Sublette County Officer Semmons planted small metal boxes around the pet shop containing brown heroin, ecstacy, $1,000 worth of crystal meth and a bag of marijuana.
The five dogs, four yellow labs and one chocolate, each took a solitary turn to locate the four "hides’ and, when located, they would sit and point to the target with their wet and whickered proboscis (snout).
Officer Zak Semmons, who supervised and graded the patrol dogs, said that the results were very good for the exercise. It took 90 minutes for the dogs to run the course and Creature Comforts opened up right on time at 10:00AM. The dogs found only what they were supposed to inside the shop.
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