Title: The Best Dog in the Yard
Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Rating: G
Length: 569
Summary: Meet Toby, the best sniffer dog in the Yard.
A/N: Toby was the name of the dog that Holmes used in the ACD story The Sign of Four.  This is his modern namesake.
With thanks to my beta scfrankles for rescuing me from over complicated sentences.


“Toby, come!”

I followed my handler into the room and sat by his side while I waited for my instructions.  I ignored most of the conversations, which I deemed irrelevant, but instead took the opportunity to observe the scene.  Not merely to look, because a group of people standing together in one half of the room and a large pile of bags in a corner, do not provide much information.  I use all my senses.  I could feel the tension, clearly this case was held to be important and probably urgent, which was why they had called for me; but no particular fear, so the suspect was not present.  I got the impression that one of the men in the group was nervous of dogs and had I been a cat I would probably have got up and wound myself round his legs, but as a dog I remained where I was.

A tall man who was waving his arms around said, “Lestrade, there’s not much time.  Even you can see that we need to act quickly.”

A grey haired man, who I recognised from a previous case we’d been on, looked harassed, but replied in a remarkably even-tempered way, “And that’s why we’ve brought the dog in.”

The tall man turned to look at me.  “He’s got very strange markings.”

I realise I’m never going to win a class at Crufts, but looks don’t matter in my line of work.  My colouring may give me a slightly comical expression, but it has served me well.  It wouldn’t be the first time a potential drug smuggler has written me off as being too clownish to be a threat.  I always enjoy their surprised expressions when I locate the goods they are carrying.

The grey-haired man continued “Okay Greene, let him go!”

“Toby, seek!”

I ran straight to the pile of bags and paused at the edge.  I could hear what I assumed was a hiss of frustration from the watchers, but there is no point in diving in before assessing the situation.  There were plenty of smells, but I could clearly discern the one I was after.  There were traces emanating from a number of the bags, but I wouldn’t have been called in for them, far too insignificant for a dog of my calibre.  I went straight to that bag, stood by it and barked three times.

My handler came over, picked the bag up and took it to the group of people.  At a nod from one of them, he forced the case open and spread the contents on the floor.  Amongst the contents was a bag of sausages.  There was some nervous laughter as my handler held them up.  I barked again.

The tall man sighed, but his shorter companion said, “That dog has the same expression you have when you complain that ordinary people are so stupid.”

“Cut them open!” the man in charge ordered.

There was some excitement when the drugs were shown to have been hidden inside the sausages, although it seemed obvious to me.  I am the best sniffer dog the Yard has, and therefore am called to the most difficult cases.  Then, since they had no further use for us, my handler and I left.  Experience has taught me that following a successful case we would be heading for the park for a game with my new ball.

“Good dog, Toby!”