Ending proves this is no shaggy dog tale

Imperial Tobacco’s Czech operations have supported a competition to find the best sniffer dogs used by customs officials to detect illicit tobacco.

The contest, staged at the customs training centre in north Bohemia, involved dogs from Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland and Slovenia, as well as Czech dogs.

The aim of the competition was to recognize the skills of the sniffer dogs and their handlers in the ongoing fight against the illicit trade.

“Around eight out of 10 seizures of illegal tobacco result from using trained sniffer dogs,” said Josef Dušánek, head of the dog section for Czech customs.

“So we’re grateful for the support of Imperial Tobacco in helping us to stage this international competition where dogs and handlers can pit their skills against each other.”

Photo: Kamil Provaznik, Imperial’s finance and CLA manager for Czech Republic and Slovakia (second left), meets with Josef Dušánek, with Czech customs dog handlers and their animals in attendance.