SPRINGFIELD -- The Missouri State Water Patrol's canine team recently took second place in a drug-detecting competition. Patrolman Ryan Zeller and Laky were on Ozarks Today on Thursday to demonstrate how Laky sniffs out narcotics.

To see Laky in action, click on the video icon.

Here's more information from The Missouri State Water Patrol:

Laky took second place overall during a competition in April that tested the skills of canine teams from four states. The 2009 Detector Dog Competition in Wapakoneta, Ohio, brought together police K-9 units from Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The competition tested the abilities of handlers and dogs to pinpoint the exact location of hidden narcotics.

The Missouri State Water Patrol's Laky, a 5-year-old German shepherd, and Zeller, his handler, trained and competed in the three-day event. Zeller and Laky are assigned to Table Rock Lake. Laky was imported from Germany.

The Missouri State Water Patrol's K-9 Division consists of six teams posted throughout the state. The units are certified in narcotics detection, tracking, obedience, and officer protection.

Zeller is extremely proud of his partner. He said the money to purchase Laky was donated by people in the Branson/Tri-Lakes area. Laky has made several cases for the Water Patrol as well as other agencies that have requested assistance. Laky also located a suspect in the woods who was involved in a domestic dispute with a gun.

Zeller also says Laky is a titled dog, with Schutzhund 3 and IPO 3 titles. Schutzhund (German for protection dog) is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s to test whether German shepherds act and perform in the manner that the breed was intended, rather than simply evaluating a dog's appearance.

Today, many breeds other than German shepherds can compete in chutzhund but it is a demanding test for any dog and few of them can pass this kind of test. Schutzhund tests dogs of all breeds for the traits necessary for police-type work.

Dogs that pass Schutzhund tests should be suitable for a wide variety of tasks: police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue, and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demanding jobs. It also tests physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility, and scenting ability.

The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character of a dog through training. Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether to use the dog in producing the next generation of working dogs.

To read more about Laky's pedigree (in German), click here

To see another video of Laky in action, click here