Revenue's top dog takes home law enforcement award

Barney is a very good dog. So good, in fact, that he took home the award for top law enforcement at the national awards for heroic dogs.

Barney, a four-year-old springer spaniel, is one of Revenue's cash dogs, and was announced as the winner of the Irish Kennel Club's first Golden Paw Hero Dog Awards in the Law Enforcement Category.

With a keen nose tuned to find hidden cash, Barney can sniff out hidden valuables in luggage at his base in Dublin Airport, hidden in passenger's clothing, or even in their shoes.

And his expertise is so in demand that he's often taken on field trips to find cash in house searches as part of criminal investigations. In one operation, Barney found €30,000 in cash and two silver bars worth another €10,000, which were hidden in a wardrobe. One of his biggest hauls to date was worth €60,000.

Barney is only one of the 15 dogs in Revenue's canine unit, who have been operating since 2001. With a sense of small 200 times stronger then a human, the dogs form a key part of Revenue's screening - not least because they are very visible to smugglers.

"Barney is a fine example of the excellence achieved by all the dogs in Revenue’s Canine Team," the state body said in a statement. "Their detections have led to many successful convictions and disrupted criminal activity."

The Golden Paw Awards, run by the Irish Kennel Club, recognised the contribution of dogs to several areas of life, with categories in companion dogs, therapy, bravery search and rescue, and law enforcement.