Bond between man and dog not to be sniffed at 

Garda Pat Harrington with his four-year-old labrador Rex at the Garda Dog Unit at Togher Garda Station, Cork. Rex can detect drugs, cash and guns. Picture: Dan Linehan

When Pat Harrington stared down at his first garda dog for what would be one of the last times, it was a moment he never expected to have.

Up to that point he had viewed the labrador as little more than a working dog. He had been Jessie’s handler for four years and together they had worked as a team helping crack crimes, sniffing out guns and drugs.