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Alex Cabrero reporting While many will be listening to what Gov. Jon Huntsman is saying in his State of the State speech tonight, there's one who will be sniffing.
His name is Diego, and even if he was listening, he wouldn't understand a word the governor is saying anyway. You see, Diego is a dog, and he's the Utah Highway Patrol's only dog who specializes in bomb detection.
While trooper Dan Huber may think a reporter's job is cool, his is way cooler. "I've always wanted to be a K-9 handler," he said.
Now, with Diego, he is one. Diego is a Belgian Malinois and joined the Utah Highway Patrol last March. His job is to sniff out explosives you and I would never smell.
"We smell in a kitchen someone baking a cake, where as a dog, if they walk into the same room, they will smell flour, sugar, eggs, all the different components of the cake," Huber explained.
Huber trains Diego by playing. He puts a little gunpowder on his toy then fake throws it, sending Diego running. "It's kind of hide-and-seek," Huber said.
Little does Diego know he's actually looking for real explosives. When he finds some he sits still and points. "He thinks his toy is in there," Huber said.
What he found was an envelope with gunpowder in it. Huber intentionally hid the envelope to keep Diego excited. "If it's not fun, he doesn't want to do it, like everyone else," Huber explained.
But as much fun as this is for Diego, it's not a game for Huber. You see, with the Utah Legislature in session, it's Diego's job to sniff for explosives inside cars, briefcases or on people. "It's very serious. An explosive at the Capitol could hurt a lot of people and could do a lot of damage," Huber said.
The type of damage you and I couldn't sniff out until it's too late. "Bomb dogs are getting more and more popular. There's more of a need for them because of the war on terror," Huber said.
Diego is the only bomb-detection dog in the Utah Highway Patrol. Huber said one time Diego stopped and pointed at a car. It turns out, the owner had a concealed weapons permit and left his gun in his car. Diego found it.
