2 Clackamas County K9s among first fentanyl detectors in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Two Clackamas County K9s are among Oregon's first to be certified to detect fentanyl.

Abbie, a Belgian Malinois and German Shepard mix, began working with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office in 2018 as a narcotics detection dog.

Coda, a Dutch Shepard, joined CCSO in 2016 and specializes in narcotics detection and patrol.

The two K9s were certified in early February. They both underwent rigorous training including teaching the dogs the odor of fentanyl so they could detect the scent as a "target odor," the sheriff's office said.

The training continues every week after certification to ensure the dogs are prepared for deployment.

Fentanyl overdose calls have been on the rise over the past several years, authorities shared, and in 2022, CCSO said they seized 333,365 pills containing fentanyl and 22.6 pounds of fentanyl powder which is over four times more pills and over 22 times more powder than was seized in 2021.

Both Abbie and Coda were born in the Netherlands.