She's no Tinkerbell, but a K-9

CHARDON, Ohio — Though she's only a 6-pound Chihuahua-rat terrier mix who looks as if she belongs in Paris Hilton's purse, Midge has the will, skill and nose of a 100-pound German shepherd.

The newest recruit for the Geauga County Sheriff's Department's K-9 unit could very well be the nation's smallest drug-sniffing pooch.

Sheriff Dan McClelland began training the 7-month-old puppy for drug-detecting duties four months ago, after reading about departments being sued by suspects whose cars or homes were damaged by larger dogs.

Like many police departments, Geauga County has had German shepherds and Labrador retrievers for years. In fact, visitors often ask, "Is the big dog out?" — referring to 125-pound Brutus, says Lt. Tom McCaffrey, the German shepherd's handler.

Brutus' intimidating, deep-pitched bark disappears when Midge playfully wrestles with him outside the old jail. That's where the dogs participate in narcotics training, where Midge watches the bigger dog maneuver through cabinets, heating vents and other spaces in search of marijuana.

Police dogs must pass a test in which they successfully search for drugs in several places to get state certification. Then they can officially become K-9s and conduct legal searches. McClelland hopes Midge will receive her working papers when she is about a year old.

There are advantages to smaller dogs, said Bob Eden, whose Eden Consulting Group trains police dogs and handlers. "Smaller pups can get into smaller and tighter spaces in order to carry out their searches," he said.

But dogs that are too small may not be able to get around certain obstacles — and there could be a credibility problem, Eden said.

"A Jack Russell terrier may make an extremely capable narcotics-detection dog," he said, "yet some agencies would shy away from using such a breed simply because the dog doesn't have the same respect level from the public as a Lab or shepherd might."

"She is very calm," McClelland said. "She is not yappy. She likes people a lot, really loves kids."

As she awaits her drug-sniffing certification, Midge works in public relations. She was grand marshal for a local Memorial Day parade, wearing an American-flag scarf while perched atop a motorcycle.

On visits to school classrooms, Midge gets passed among tiny hands. And McClelland offers a lesson: "I tell the kids, 'Even when you're small, if you take a stand you can make a difference.' "