Golden Retriever Digs Up $85,000 Worth of Heroin in Backyard

They don’t call them retrievers for nothing.

An 18-month-old Golden Retriever named Kenyon (pictured above) dug up quite the discovery in his owner’s backyard in Oregon in early August: approximately $85,000 worth of heroin. 

According to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the call, the dog was innocently digging and came across what his pet parents thought was a time capsule. 

“They quickly learned it was not a time capsule, but more likely some type of controlled substance,” the sheriff’s office explained via Facebook. “Kenyon’s owners [who wish to remain anonymous] then contacted law enforcement, and the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office arrived and identified the substance as over 15 ounces of black tar heroin.” 

Because of his helpful discovery, Kenyon received an official Yamhill County K-9 citation ribbon and was named an honorary narcotics K-9 for life. After all, the brave pup is carrying on in the “paw-steps” of sniffer dogs who put their lives on the line every day to keep drugs and other illegal substances away. 

As Sheriff Tim Svenson put it, “Opioid addiction and overdose deaths are on the rise, and with the help of Kenyon, this large quantity of heroin is removed from our community.”

Image via Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Facebook 

Read more: New Strategy Protects Police Dogs from Opioid Overdoses