Rescue dog Rio, once scared of everyone, now hunts crime in Cornwall

In 2020, nobody could get near her. Take one step towards Rio and she would take ten steps back.

Now the Belgian Malinois walks into shops on Cornwall’s high streets alongside HMRC, Trading Standards, immigration officers and police, nose down, looking for whatever has been hidden.

A dog nobody could get near

Rio had been taken in by Woodside Animal Welfare Sanctuary at Elfordleigh, on the edge of Plymouth in Devon. Passed from home to home in the first few months of her life, with little exposure to the outside world, she was terrified of everything and everyone.

In 2020 the sanctuary called in retired police dog trainer Shane Curnow to help with her behaviour.

“When I first met Rio she was very scared,” Shane said. “You couldn’t get near her. If you took one step forward, she would take 10 steps back. But I saw something in her.”

Understanding the needs of an intelligent working breed, he began taking her home to train. He went on to adopt her, and set about turning the frightened rescue dog into a specialist search dog working with the National Crime Agency. Her work now covers illegal tobacco and vape sales, drugs, money laundering and modern slavery.

“She is not the same dog now,” Shane said. “Her confidence levels are really high. When she’s in the zone she has her blinkers on, she’s so focussed on her work. Everybody enjoys watching what she does and it’s clear that she enjoys the work.”

On duty on Cornwall’s high streets

Shane runs Plymouth-based South West K9 Detectives, and he and Rio are currently part of Operation Machinize. The National Crime Agency-led operation targets high street businesses used for money laundering, drugs, illegal vapes and tobacco, modern slavery, immigration crime and other organised criminal activity.

It involves coordinated raids, arrests, cash seizures and business closures across barbershops, vape shops, minimarts, nail bars and similar premises.

In recent weeks Rio has been working in Cornwall alongside Cornwall Council, HMRC, police and immigration. On those visits she has uncovered large stashes of illegal goods, and a stock room that appeared to be in use as makeshift accommodation for several people.

Garlic, a hidden safe and half a million cigarettes

Across the Tamar, an operation in Plymouth saw Rio help find 35,000 illegal cigarettes stashed in a van, another 1,000 in a car, and Class A drugs discarded in a hedge.

At one Plymouth vape shop, suspects tried to mask the scent of illegal tobacco with garlic. It didn’t work.

Elsewhere, Rio has found £30,000 in a hidden safe and half a million illegal cigarettes concealed in a metal container.

“The criminals are changing their tactics all the time, so we have to change ours,” Shane said. “We are doing more training around vehicles, as we are seeing an increase in ‘stash’ vehicles.”

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A normal dog at home

After a typical nine-hour shift, the pair head home for some down time.

“She is a normal dog when we get home,” Shane said. “When we’re not working, she’s resting, we go out for walks and do normal stuff together. We will go and do a bit of training, she absolutely loves it.”

He is clear that a dog like Rio needs more than most homes can give.

“My last police dog was a Malinois. A working Malinois is not suitable as a dog in the home. Rio’s drive when I first met her was off the scale, you need to harness that drive and build confidence.

“You can’t expect dogs like Rio to live in a normal pet home and go out for a 30 minute walk each day. There was an awful lot of work to do with Rio and it took time.”

Back at the sanctuary

Since leaving the police, Shane has run dog scent work training sessions. Woodside staff regularly attend, and use what they learn to help other dogs in their care.

Woodside manager Dawn Cornish said: “Shane has been a long-term supporter of Woodside, offering us help in many areas over many years.

“He offered to come up to the sanctuary to assess Rio and do scent work with her to keep her busy. There was a strong bond between them from the start. He took her for a day to work with her, and he clearly saw something special in her.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for Rio. There seems to be no limit to what she can do!”

A nomination for the Crufts Hero Dog Awards has recently been mentioned to Shane.

“What a story for a rescue dog!” he said.