New Brown County Canine
By: Liz Gonzales
Updated: November 30, 2012
"He and I have been out of school on the street for about a week and a half," says Investigator James Stroope.
The training wasn't easy.
"Took him to a place in San Marcos called Texas Elite Canine," explains Stroope. "And he was down there for about 5 weeks I guess."
Investigator Stroope used positive reinforcement to get buster in tip top shape.
"We'll watch one and see what happens," he says.
Stroope begins to hide different narcotics all around the room for buster to find as part of his training.
Buster is eager to get to work. When he finds the drugs, he sits down, letting his master know he's found the illegal product.
Buster is also trained to not move from his post when he's found something.
His reward for a job well done: a good old fashion game of fetch.
Besides being a drug sniffing dog, buster has another job.
"He's been with me his entire life, from six weeks on, so he's more than just a partner, he's like a second son to me," says Stroope.
Buster is the only canine in Brown County and his unique presence is vital to the community.
"It's important to have that available so that the officer's instinct of saying 'hey I think there's narcotics in here' and then the dog saying 'yeah there's narcotics in here' and finding it and getting it off the streets before it hits our children and the schools," he says.
And that's what Buster ultimately represents: protection.
"We're here for brown county and protecting them and anybody else that wants to come through and bring that garbage through to another town, we'll be happy to take them too.
Buster is already on the road, ready to do whatever it takes to get that tennis ball.
