Dog Proof Drug Baggies – Carl Vonderau March 2025 Newsletter

Hello from San Diego.

Speaking of scams, my friend, Kathleen Donnelly, wrote a special piece this issue on bags that fool narcotics-sniffing dogs. She is an expert on this because she used to have a drug-sniffing dog business. Here she is with four of her dogs.

Dog Proof Baggies to Hide Your Drugs

By Kathleen Donnelly

Being a K-9 handler for nineteen years for a private narcotics dog business that worked in schools, I heard many myths about ways to “trick” the dogs. There were the usual ideas of hiding drugs in coffee, wrapping the contraband with dryer sheets and using items such as Ziploc bags. My least favorite as a handler was when a student put something in a baggie on the inside or outside of a toilet.

I hate to break it to you, but none of that works. Not even the baggie in the toilet water. So, how do you trick a drug dog? My answer? Trick the handler. Humans are much easier to fool than dogs which is why the number one saying in K-9 work is “trust your dog.”

As part of my K-9 handler education, I subscribed to the magazine High Times. I found the publication interesting and informative. I also studied the ads for stash containers or clothing such as the best stash hats. That way, when one of my dogs alerted on a cap, I would understand why they might have indicated on that item. One weekend, catching up on my reading, I was flipping through the magazine and an advertisement caught my eye. The blurb claimed to have baggies that were K-9 proof. The consumer could hide their drugs in these bags and drug dogs wouldn’t be able to smell what was in them.

Well, that seemed like a challenge. My business partner agreed and we placed an order. We both thought this had to be a scam, but I was curious to see what would arrive.

When the baggies came, the first clue that this ad was a total scam was the fact they looked just like the Ziploc sandwich bags sitting in my pantry. I was still intrigued to see if they would work. I decided to test out all the odors my dogs were trained to find. I placed marijuana, pseudo meth, pseudo heroin, pseudo cocaine, a cotton ball with a couple drops of Vodka, and one spent cartridge all in separate bags. Then I hid the bags in different locations such as a vehicle, school locker, backpack and in a good stash spot on a building perimeter.

The dogs were excited. I worked four dogs that day. Each dog easily found the hidden training items. The bags were far from K-9 proof which didn’t surprise me. But it was a great way to make money on your average sandwich bag. I noticed over time that the ad no longer appeared in High Times. If you see something advertising that a K-9 won’t be able to smell through it, think twice before ordering.

What a great story. Kathleen’s dogs are incredible. Here’s a picture of Boomer doing a passive alert on some kid’s locker at a school. Maybe he was using the dog-proof baggies.

Kathleen has written a terrific K-9 series where Maya and her dog, Juniper, investigate crimes in the forests and towns of Colorado. The latest is called Hunting the Truth.

She also has a new book called Colorado K-9 Rescue that will be coming out in May. Here’s the tagline: A kidnapper’s twisted game is on. And a trusty K-9 won’t let him succeed.

Get your pre-order here.

 

The Strangest (And Most Dangerous) Place I’ve researched a Book

On February 7 my post for Valerie Biel’s newsletter came out. I wrote about the strangest place I’d gone to for research on a thriller. It’s Colombia. Here’s picture of one area I walked through in Bogotá.

Find the full story with this link.

 

Where I’ve Been Lately

On February 16, I had a great time at the Southern CA Writer’s Conference. I led a seminar on how to put heart in a thriller. Ann Bancroft, Linda Moore, and I also did a panel later that day on Getting Published after 50. None of us had an easy time getting our first books published. But perseverance paid off. Here are some pictures.

On February 27, I spoke to the Del Mar Community Connections book club, Page Turners. They had some terrific questions about my novel, Saving Myles. Here I am with the organizer, Sheila Sharpe, whose own book will be coming out in May.

Kathleen Donnelly and I had a fun time at Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver on March 12. We saw both new and old friends there and talked about Thrills, Chills, and Killer Love. Here we are with Kat, who organized the event at a the store, and some enthusiastic participants.

 

Partners in Crime

We had a great presentation from Dr. Candace Schoppe about what she does as a forensic pathologist and medical examiner for San Diego. She is one of the experts who do autopsies and had a great quote about what they mean to society. “We are the family physicians to the bereaved.” Did you know that it takes 14-15 years of study to be qualified for this job? There is a huge shortage of medical examiners, and many locales use unqualified people. Another thing I learned is that TV gets it wrong when they so accurately determine the time of a victim’s death. There are many factors that affect the body and it is one of the hardest things to determine.

Don’t miss our next virtual meeting when Justin Brooks will talk about the California Innocence Project. It will be on April 12. The event will soon be listed on our website. Register here.

 

Do you have a book club?

If you would like me to talk at your club or some other event about Saving Myles or the writing life, please respond to this email or simply email me at carlvonderauauthor@gmail.com. If you are close by, I can come to your meeting. If not, we can talk virtually. I really love to do these, so don’t hesitate to ask.

Finally, if you know someone who would enjoy my book, please buy it. Here is a link:

Get Saving Myles