Houston Sheriff's Office has GA's first electronic detection dog

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WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Dogs are known as loyal and even as man's best friend.But for law enforcement agencies across the world, they can be an asset in more ways than one.

Public safety canines can be used for a number of reasons, whether that be locating missing persons, catching criminals or sniffing out drugs. At the Houston County Sheriff's Office, they say they have Georgia's first canine with the ability to locate electronic devices.

His name is Jobi and though he's only two-years-old with just over a year on the force, he plays a major role in the crackdown on criminals.

"Detection canines are a new tool in the war on child pornography," Sergeant Jeff Lashley said.

His handler and Sergeant Jeff Lashley says as a part of the internet crimes against children force, Joby uses his nose to find electronic devices that human officers may miss.

"There's a chemical on all electronic devices that have storage capabilities. EPPD is the chemical. He is trained on that scent and when he smells that, he knows he is getting food -- getting fed so he works very hard for it," he said.

Lashley says Jobi is the first dog of his kind in Georgia.

His training happens at pet stores, fire departments, and nursing homes all preparing him for distractions he might find on scene. Lashley tells him to "seek" and his work begins-- and when he finds something, he'll sit.

The dual-purpose pup serves on the scene and in the office.

"Well we also use him in our forensic interviews in comforting our victims who are often small children. So, when you bring a dog in there and they start petting on the dog and loving on the dog, it just opens so many doors," he said.

Protecting kids and comforting kids, it's all part of the job for Jobi.

Fun fact, Jobi was once in training to be an emotional support animal.A nonprofit recently selected Jobi to receive a protective vest.

The vest costs between $1700 and $2300.