SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — While the agriculture industry in San Joaquin County provides food to the world, there’s one nose trying to protect it all.
The one-dog pest inspection team in the county is trying to stop any threats to the area’s agriculture before they happen. But as the threat of invasive species grows, officials now want to see more paws cracking down on pests.
CBS13 got a behind-the-scenes look at how San Joaquin County’s only detector dog, Waylon, can sniff out anywhere a threat to the industry could be hiding.
Waylon is a part of a statewide program of detection dogs that go through mail systems with FedEx, UPS, Amazon, the Post Office.
“In the last nine months or so, Waylon hit on four pests that would’ve been detrimental to this county,” Kamal Bagri said.
Bagri is the San Joaquin County agricultural commissioner. She said that Waylon is making a huge difference on his own by keeping crops safe, but this canine needs a colleague.
“We are hoping that congressmen can push for more funding so that we can get new dog teams,” she said.
The state currently has 14 dog teams, but for Bagri, it’s not enough. She says San Joaquin County is positioned perfectly for a dog inspection team.
It’s where major freeways, the port and railways meet, and major shipping companies like Amazon have warehouses here.
For farmers, this extra barrier can save their crops, payroll and bottom lines.
“Just having a line of defense. The effects down the line can be devastating to communities, so we’re really worried about that,” Andrew Genasci said.
Genasci represents several farmers in the county. He said that if Waylon can nip pest invasions in the bud, it can help not only farmers but also the fragile economy of California crops.
“You can have these devastating effects on this large industry that is really vital to not only San Joaquin County but also California, in general,” he said.
These dogs are only trained in the State of Georgia to tackle this kind of job. Officials are hoping that with enough help, they can open another training facility in San Joaquin County.
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