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URL, a former “pound puppy,” passed away at age 7. URL attracted fame nationwide for his job at a Utah sheriff’s office sniffing out electronic gadgets that frequently carried child pornography and other criminal activities.
In January of last year, the black lab left the force and began residing with his handler. According to the sheriff’s office, he passed away on December 30, just before turning 8 years old.
Despite being initially judged to be “untrainable,” URL’s “unique talents” were later discovered by an Indiana rescue facility, who then helped him attend police training and eventually the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
Announcing URL’s death on Facebook, the Weber County Sheriff’s Office posted, “URL was not bred to be a police dog, and instead had a very rough start as a ‘pound puppy,’ and bounced through two different animal shelters and one foster home within the first few months of his life.”
“URL was trained in the infancy of a nationwide program intended to include Electronic Storage Detection in police services. URL was only the fourth dog to be certified as such in the United States,” the sheriff’s office stated.
URL earned the nickname “porn-sniffing dog.” Together with his handler, Det. Cameron Hartman, they were able to carry out more than 2,000 arrest warrants, with the K9 frequently sniffing out electronic devices connected to cases of sex abuse and child pornography.
According to the sheriff’s office, one of URL’s more “remarkable” incidents involved him spotting a USB drive concealed as a key on a keyring full of keys. In other incidents, URL discovered an SD card concealed on a high shelf in a Utah home and a cell phone concealed inside a book. He even discovered a micro-SD card that had been stashed in a pencil box, inside a baby jar, and inside a cedar chest with other stuff.
URL gained national attention thanks to his work. Hartman and URL were featured on the show Cops and were interviewed by Terry Crews.
Hartman said, “What a privilege it was to serve alongside you. ‘URL’ my heart is broken and still filled with so many memories and emotions. I am so lucky to have been able to get to know you and serve the citizens of Utah and its surrounding states with you.”
