Nosey Dogs Detection Services offers discreet drug searches by canine

By ALEXANDER S. COREY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

8 years ago

Amanda Schneider, the owner of Nosey Dogs Detection Services, trains her dog Nick to detect drugs in suitcases at Silver State K-9 in Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @DanJClarkPhoto)

Amanda Schneider, the owner of Nosey Dogs Detection Services, trains her dog Nick to detect drugs at Silver State K-9 in Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @DanJClarkPhoto)

Local business owner Amanda Schneider is carving out a niche for herself with the help of a German shepherd and a pup.

The 25-year-old business owner is founder and owner of Nosey Dogs Detection Services, a 10-legged company — one human and two canines — that offers discreet drug detection tests for home and business owners.

Schneider said she came up with the idea after her past experience with a loved one who hid their struggle with a drug addiction.

“They don’t want to tell the people they love,” Schneider said.

For a $250 fee, Schneider brings her dog to a customer’s home or business and has her 19-month-old German shepherd Nick sniff for drugs. She emphasized that she lets the customer search through belongings themselves and does not confiscate anything that is found.

Before starting her business this year, Schneider worked for seven years doing human resources and payroll for a local community management company.

Schneider holds a state private investigator’s canine handling license, and Nick is professionally trained to sniff for drugs. The dog was bought and trained in Tennessee for about $10,000 by a police officer who runs a business training police dogs.

“The same test that Metro has to take twice a year, we had to take and pass, just so they know the dog knows what he’s doing,” Schneider said.

Since the company officially launched this summer, Schneider said she has conducted about 15 home searches and is in talks with a local private school to provide detection services.

While Schneider started her business with the intent of focusing on homeowners, she has found a greater than expected need among commercial businesses.

That led to her signing a contract recently with an airline at McCarran International Airport.

Schneider also has a 9-month-old German shepherd pup named Jax who is in line to get training as a bomb detection dog when he comes of age, another business area the company plans to take on.

“I started it for residential, but I’m noticing that commercial needs it more than I thought,” said Schneider.

Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.