VIDEO: “Who … is … going … to … jail … today?”
Gilbert fire investigator David Zehring is addressing Zeta, his black Labrador retriever, as he points back and forth to my hands. Hidden in my right hand is a piece of wood with a single drop of lighter fluid on it.
Zehring is the fire investigator for Gilbert Fire and Rescue, and Zeta is trained to detect arson.
“Who … is … going … to … jail … today?”
Zeta, who’s 4, points her nose at my right hand, where the wood is tucked between my fingers.
“You are!” Zehring tells me as he feeds Zeta a treat.
Zeta trains twice a day as an accelerant detection canine for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. She’s the only such dog in Arizona, and has solved 95 arson cases.
In just 20 minutes, Zeta can determine the cause of a fire, something that can take investigators hours or days.