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Dogs Trained to Sniff Out Piracy

Posted by Zonk on from the anti-peg-leg-pooches dept.

RockDoctor writes "Northern Ireland has for decades been using sniffer dogs to detect bombs and bomb-making materials. According to the BBC, a dog trainer in the Province has trained two dogs to sniff out some of the chemicals used in the manufacture of optical discs. While this has an obvious risk of false positives (polycarbonate plastics and their associated plasticizer additives are used in many other industries, for example), it does seem to be effective at locating discs which are not declared in customs manifests, and doing so much faster than human inspection of the cargo can do."

16 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Workaround by Mr_eX9 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fly with your external hdd to transport your piracy overseas.

    1. Re:Workaround by Jozer99 · · Score: 4, Funny

      My dog can already sniff out Body Odor, Ramen noodles and Hotpockets, the three indicators of major piracy (and WoW) and I haven't even trained her! How is this a big deal!?!

  2. Dog substance addiction by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, at least the dogs should not get addicted to plastics, like the drug sniffing dogs...

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    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
    1. Re:Dog substance addiction by LibertarianWackJob · · Score: 3, Funny

      You knew the job (reading /.) was dangerous when you took it.

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      What? ®
    2. Re:Dog substance addiction by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 3, Funny

      Drug sniffing dogs are addicted to plastic?

      The credit card industry is really making irresponsible loans these days. There's no way these dogs make enough money to cover all the treats they'll buy if they're given half a chance preapproved with a 0% teaser rate.

  3. But.. but... by mangu · · Score: 2, Funny

    What if the dog gets interested in the content of the disk?

    1. Re:But.. but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      But as long as its a male dog (if you're female) or a female dog (if you're male) then it's not as sick as man on man sex.

    2. Re:But.. but... by Evilest+Doer · · Score: 5, Funny

      But as long as its a male dog (if you're female) or a female dog (if you're male) then it's not as sick as man on man sex.
      Rick Santorum! I didn't know you posted on slashdot! Welcome! How is life as an ex-Senator?
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  4. Slippery slope by deft · · Score: 2, Funny

    First they do this... and then they train the dogs to sniff out the actual pirates.

    Once these dogs have the secent of basement dwelling teenager with poor hygiene... it's all over.

    RIAA is probably training them now. What exactly is the scent of p2p?

    --

    There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
    1. Re:Slippery slope by MadUndergrad · · Score: 5, Funny

      What exactly is the scent of p2p?

      Rum.

  5. animals are much more intelligent that we credit by straponego · · Score: 5, Funny
    We're constantly learning that animals can accomplish feats we've been too arrogant to suspect them of: reasoning, memory, abstract concepts, tool use, eleven dimensional bee dances... and now, these dogs can determine, through scent alone, whether bits are pirated or legitimately owned.

    Incredible.

  6. Of course it does! by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 3, Funny

    The sniffer dog is trained by a trainer who eats fast food which is served by a waitress who has a boyfriend with a computer connected to the internet.

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    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  7. Argh, ye matey, and yer poochie too! by Zarf · · Score: 4, Funny

    Arr, thar be no pirates aboard me ship. She be yar and she be true as spit shine as all me laddies. Ye nay be needin' th' poochie here cap'n. Wha? Why tha' be chemicals fer me special scurvy cream. I swar I ne'er heard o' no Day-vee-day piratein' They be like gold bar? Arr! L'emme go ye scalliwags! Ye, canna keel haul a-man fer youst ha'in chemicals fer the scurvy! I swar ser it's medicinal! Don' let 'em lock me in thar brig! I did'na heard no Day-vee-day pirates! Dis is per-poster-mos!

    Poor Long Burn Silver Disc we never saw him again.

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    [signature]
  8. Re:animals are much more intelligent that we credi by tehSpork · · Score: 3, Funny

    At least it's better than the magic 8 ball method the RIAA seems to have been using. :)

  9. Who needs dogs to sniff out pirates? by Dachannien · · Score: 2, Funny

    The filthy beggars ne'er get a wash. A man can sniff 'em out himself at thirty fathoms!

  10. Wouldn't it be easier ...... by edwardpickman · · Score: 2, Funny

    to train them to sniff out films and music that smell bad? A single copy of The Wickerman remake can be smelled by a human with a head cold at a hundred yards. A good bloodhound should be able to sniff out a box of them from the next county.