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Meet K9 Delta, the Omaha Fire Department's newest liquid detection canine

K9 Delta replaces K9 Alley who is retiring after seven years of service with the Omaha Fire Department
Posted at 5:28 PM, Feb 09, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-09 18:49:23-05

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Delta, a two-year-old Goldador, is a good girl with a big job.

Thursday, Canine handler David Sobotka and the Omaha Fire Department introduced 3 News Now to their new liquid detection dog.

Liquid detection dogs are able to assist fire departments in fire investigations, they can determine where accelerants were used to start a fire.

Delta is replacing the previous arson dog Alley who is retiring after seven years of service to the department.

When Alley first joined OFD, she was the first animal to work for them in about a century, Thursday she's ready to pass the torch.

“She's basically going to become my boy's dog,” said Sobotka.

Sobotka’s son Dylan said he’s excited to welcome Alley to the family.

“She likes to play with her chew toys,” Dylan said. “She likes running around a lot and likes to chase Delta.”

While the adjustment is easy for Alley, the same couldn’t be said for Sobotka.

“[My biggest challenge] is trying to forget the personality that Alley has and start learning Delta's personality,” said Sobotka.

Despite the learning curve, Sobotka's looking forward to maintaining OFD's commitment to fire investigations with Delta.

“We're all excited to have her on board.”

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