Dog Names that Start with Fl

Among the many skills, talents, and instincts we see in the canine species, those involving the olfactory components in their noses have helped to deepen the bond between humankind and the dog.  This keen sense of smell and the ability to differentiate between various scents is what makes dogs valuable in areas involving hunting and tracking.  If you go back through the annals of time, you will note that canines have served humankind in this capacity for centuries, both in areas of sport as well as survival. 

Our pop culture spotlight today is Flo, a Black Labrador Retriever, who, partnered with her twin brother, Lucky, are noted for tracking something unique. When one thinks about hunting and tracking, some type animal or vermin comes to mind as the target of the hunt.  While this is true, the tracking skills of canines also become valuable in the search process for missing people, human remains, a variety of contraband, drugs and pirated DVDs, CDs and computer gaming optical discs.  Yes, we said optical discs, and Flo and Lucky are the first dogs to be utilized in this area.  

How is this DVD detection is possible?  While promoted to detect counterfeit DVDs, the dogs have no specific ability to distinguish between counterfeit from other types of polycarbonate optical discs. Trained to identify a particular chemical used in the production of discs, Flo and her twin brother, Lucky, have teamed up with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) to assist in stopping the infringement of copyrights of films taking place all over the world. They have discovered tens of thousands of counterfeit DVDs in Malaysia alone, where they are on loan from the MPAA, an organization which includes such famous filmmakers as Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers.  The MPAA reported a 2006 loss of $1.2 billion in the Asia-Pacific movie pirating. Malaysia, one of about 36 countries on a United States watch list of copyright violators, is one of the top illegal movie producers and distributors in the world.

Flo and her partner, pressed into service in Malaysia in March 2007, helped to uncover about one million DVDs, CDs and computer game discs, valued at approximately $2.8 million found in the southern city of Johor on March 19 in an office complex.  In a second successful mission, they helped discover over 150,000 pirated optical discs in the city of Kuala Lumpur shortly after that.