After a rough start, Obi the dog finds new purpose as Cal's bomb-sniffing K9

Obi, a 14-month-old springer spaniel, wasn't dealt a good hand early in his life, but thanks to UC Berkeley, the friendly pup has found a new purpose and a whole university's worth of friends.

According to a post introducing Obi to the Cal community, the dog was abused as a puppy in Wyoming before he was rescued and found his new home with UCPD officer Sal Lopez.

"He was treated very bad, abused physically, emotionally and deprived of food," Lopez told a UC Berkeley reporter. Obi was "very skittish" at first, and didn't like human contact. But after his trainers began giving him praise, he began to feel more comfortable with people.

"Large crowds still overwhelm him at times," Lopez says. Although that's not obvious in watching his interactions with students, as documented by student Perla Shaheen.

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After a rough beginning, Obi the dog has found a new life as a bomb-sniffing K9 at UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley Explosive Ordnance Disposal K9 Obi sits for a photo at the California Memorial Stadium on campus Tuesday, March 13, 2018. less After a rough beginning, Obi the dog has found a new life as a bomb-sniffing K9 at UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley Explosive Ordnance Disposal K9 Obi sits for a photo at the California Memorial Stadium on campus ... more Photo: Brittany Hosea-Small 916-267-174, Photo By Brittany Hosea-Small / Courtesy Of UC Berkeley Photo: Brittany Hosea-Small 916-267-174, Photo By Brittany Hosea-Small / Courtesy Of UC Berkeley Image 1 of / 64 Caption Close After a rough start, Obi the dog finds new purpose as Cal's bomb-sniffing K9 1 / 64 Back to Gallery

Obi seems to be pretty curious about things now as he makes his rounds sniffing around the school, keeping an eye — or rather, a nose — out for dangerous smells.

A tennis ball Lopez carries around with him contains the "fake smell of explosives," as the article notes, so Obi knows what he's looking for. The police and K9 duo visit Cal's venues before major events, like concerts and big football games, to make sure it's safe for students and guests.

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Springer spaniels are known to have an extremely advanced sense of smell. Often selected to assist in police work, the breed can be trained to pick up on extremely minor scents, like USB sticks, hard drives, or even a bacteria superbug.

When he's all done working, Obi looks forward to hanging out and playing with his new family.

"With Obi, he has that little extra; it is hard to explain, but when you give him that reward you can tell he is really excited about it, he really appreciates it," Lopez said. "He does his work with an extra little bit because he knows he's going to get to play with you after it is over."

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

