Utah’s celebrated “porn-sniffing” police dog, named “URL,” has died just shy of his eighth birthday, lower than a 12 months after his retirement from the force, officials announced.
The Weber County Sheriff’s Office shared the sad news on Facebook Thursday, revealing that URL “premature” passed away on Dec. 30 while within the care of his original handler, Detective Cameron Hartman, of the Webster County Attorney’s Office.
The excellent boy’s explanation for death was not immediately released.
URL was only the fourth dog within the US to be certified and trained as an Electronic Storage Detection Canine. Over the course of his law enforcement profession, the four-legged officer took part within the execution of greater than 2,000 arrest warrants, sniffing out countless pieces of digital evidence resulting in the arrests of suspects often implicated in child sexual abuse and phonography cases.
The sheriff’s office highlighted a few of URL’s most “remarkable” finds, including a USB drive disguised as a key on a keyring stuffed with keys, a micro-SD card hidden inside a closed baby jar in a cluttered pencil box that was inside a big cedar chest, an SD card resting on a high shelf, a cellphone jammed right into a book, and even cellphone parts that were stashed in a wall behind a jailhouse toilet.
URL was not bred to be a police dog and had a rough start in life, having been born a “pound puppy” and bouncing between animal shelters and foster homes through the first few months of his life, based on the sheriff’s office.
Initially, URL was deemed to be untrainable due to behavior issues, however the Central Indiana Labrador Rescue & Adoption recognized the pup’s “unique talents and drive,” and set out to seek out the correct setting for him, which ultimately led the pup to the then-fledgling nationwide Electronic Storage Detection Canine training program.
Unlike other forms of K-9 dogs, that are rewarded with play time or a toy for his or her work, electronic storage-sniffing dogs like URL are rewarded with food — an unusual approach that takes advantage of the dog’s natural drive and sense of hunger to assist motivate him to locate the sought items.
After coming to work for the Weber County Sheriff’s Office in Utah in 2016, URL was placed with Detective Hartman, who was tasked with incorporating training into each of his furry partner’s feedings, and conducted training searches multiple times a day.
URL’s exploits and his vivid nickname — “the porn-sniffing dog” — attracted much media attention through the years, including appearances on CNN and the longest-running reality TV show, “Cops,” in 2017.
During his time on the force, URL and his handler worked with nearly every local law enforcement department, in addition to state and federal agencies, including the Utah Attorney General’s Office Web Crimes Against Children Task Force, FBI’s Federal Child Exploitation Task Force and the US Department of Homeland Security.
URL retired from the force in Jan. 2022 and spent the ultimate months of his life with Hartman, who penned a moving tribute to his companion last week.
“What a privilege it was to serve alongside you. ‘URL’ my heart is broken and still crammed with so many memories and emotions,” the detective wrote. “I’m so lucky to have been in a position to get to know you and serve the residents of Utah and its surrounding states with you.”
“So many incredible experiences and opportunities that you just brought me as I used to be just the guy on the boring end of the leash holding on for dear life,” Hartman added. “You were at all times there for me as I benefited out of your talent in helping to catch a few of the wolves that live amongst us.”
“I don’t take any of the time you gave me without any consideration. It’s been an unbelievable honor to have been the biggest a part of your unstable life. I’ll miss you terribly until I get to see you again.”
Utah’s celebrated “porn-sniffing” police dog, named “URL,” has died just shy of his eighth birthday, lower than a 12 months after his retirement from the force, officials announced.
The Weber County Sheriff’s Office shared the sad news on Facebook Thursday, revealing that URL “premature” passed away on Dec. 30 while within the care of his original handler, Detective Cameron Hartman, of the Webster County Attorney’s Office.
The excellent boy’s explanation for death was not immediately released.
URL was only the fourth dog within the US to be certified and trained as an Electronic Storage Detection Canine. Over the course of his law enforcement profession, the four-legged officer took part within the execution of greater than 2,000 arrest warrants, sniffing out countless pieces of digital evidence resulting in the arrests of suspects often implicated in child sexual abuse and phonography cases.
The sheriff’s office highlighted a few of URL’s most “remarkable” finds, including a USB drive disguised as a key on a keyring stuffed with keys, a micro-SD card hidden inside a closed baby jar in a cluttered pencil box that was inside a big cedar chest, an SD card resting on a high shelf, a cellphone jammed right into a book, and even cellphone parts that were stashed in a wall behind a jailhouse toilet.
URL was not bred to be a police dog and had a rough start in life, having been born a “pound puppy” and bouncing between animal shelters and foster homes through the first few months of his life, based on the sheriff’s office.
Initially, URL was deemed to be untrainable due to behavior issues, however the Central Indiana Labrador Rescue & Adoption recognized the pup’s “unique talents and drive,” and set out to seek out the correct setting for him, which ultimately led the pup to the then-fledgling nationwide Electronic Storage Detection Canine training program.
Unlike other forms of K-9 dogs, that are rewarded with play time or a toy for his or her work, electronic storage-sniffing dogs like URL are rewarded with food — an unusual approach that takes advantage of the dog’s natural drive and sense of hunger to assist motivate him to locate the sought items.
After coming to work for the Weber County Sheriff’s Office in Utah in 2016, URL was placed with Detective Hartman, who was tasked with incorporating training into each of his furry partner’s feedings, and conducted training searches multiple times a day.
URL’s exploits and his vivid nickname — “the porn-sniffing dog” — attracted much media attention through the years, including appearances on CNN and the longest-running reality TV show, “Cops,” in 2017.
During his time on the force, URL and his handler worked with nearly every local law enforcement department, in addition to state and federal agencies, including the Utah Attorney General’s Office Web Crimes Against Children Task Force, FBI’s Federal Child Exploitation Task Force and the US Department of Homeland Security.
URL retired from the force in Jan. 2022 and spent the ultimate months of his life with Hartman, who penned a moving tribute to his companion last week.
“What a privilege it was to serve alongside you. ‘URL’ my heart is broken and still crammed with so many memories and emotions,” the detective wrote. “I’m so lucky to have been in a position to get to know you and serve the residents of Utah and its surrounding states with you.”
“So many incredible experiences and opportunities that you just brought me as I used to be just the guy on the boring end of the leash holding on for dear life,” Hartman added. “You were at all times there for me as I benefited out of your talent in helping to catch a few of the wolves that live amongst us.”
“I don’t take any of the time you gave me without any consideration. It’s been an unbelievable honor to have been the biggest a part of your unstable life. I’ll miss you terribly until I get to see you again.”
