Peanut and Corinda the most popular crime fighting duo

If you have primary school aged children, you’ve probably heard them talk excitedly about a dog named Peanut and all the cool things he can do. Peanut is a registered narcotics-detection dog that has been working in the field with his partner Corinda Loots for the past six years.

Corinda established the K9 unit at her security firm because she saw a need in the industry for using dogs.

“Dogs have an amazing talent that many people are unaware of. My love for these animals has grown so strong that I decided to help the community and other security companies to get the proper training,” she elaborated.

Unknowingly the course she first took did not take into account all of the regulations and registrations required to start a K9 unit, let alone train future K9 units. “I had to redo all my courses through an accredited training facility in Pretoria,” she explained. It was a time-consuming and costly process.

People don’t always realise how serious it is to work with a protection or detection dog, more so the legal requirements.

“You can’t just pitch up with your dog at a crime scene, school, festival or search-and-rescue and expect everyone to accommodate you. You need to work in conjunction with the SAPS, which have their own laws they need to abide by,” she elaborated.

The police are allowed only to work with companies that are registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) and The Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA). There are as many laws and regulations governing K9 units and K9 academies as there are for security firms.

“Handlers and their dogs must be registered, law-abiding citizens who are aware of their surroundings. They must comprehend the significance of not contaminating the crime scene. They can cause more harm than good by failing to follow the established rules and regulations for attending a crime scene.”

Corinda also mentioned the high risk of the case being thrown out of court due to a contaminated scene.

She explained that as a K9 unit leader and training facility owner, they are subjected to rigorous inspections by the SAPS, the local SPCA, and a doctor from the University of Pretoria to ensure they meet all the necessary requirements and adhere to all regulations. Their licence is renewed annually.

“I do a lot of K9-related work for the SAPS and the Community Policing Forum (CPF). I’ve also worked with other security firms that don’t have their own K9 units. The costs of running and maintaining a K9 unit are high; I am grateful to be able to help so many people through my unit,” said Loots.

A detection dog can be used in a variety of fields, among other as agricultural product (importation) detector dogs, arson (accelerant) detector dogs, airport/ runway detector dogs, cadaver (human remains) detector dogs, chemical weapon detector dogs, currency detector dogs, drug (narcotic) detector dogs, explosives (bomb) detector dogs, firearm/ ammunition detector dogs, missing person detector dogs, search and rescue (warm blood) detector dogs, and many others.

“My absolute passion is to keep drugs off the streets and out of schools. Unfortunately, this is a never-ending battle, but I believe that if I can remove even 1% of the drugs, I may be able to save a thousand lives,” said Loots.

Peanut has discovered numerous drugs and even sniffed out an illegal and stolen firearm in Johannesburg. Later it was revealed that the firearm was linked to a murder case in Randfontein. Peanut is rewarded for all the work he does through playtime with his favourite toy – his Kong.

Peanut is a trained narcotics detector dog that has served as an ambassador for K9s everywhere, visiting numerous schools and markets in and around Roodepoort.

“Peanut is an absolute hero – not only in the eyes of the children he’s met, but also in the eyes of many adults,” Loots added. He recently received an award for his services at a CPF/SAPS award ceremony.

When he walked on stage, the entire audience began chanting, “Peanut, Peanut, Peanut!” When she looked at her partner, her heart swelled with pride, and she knew they were doing something right.