She's adorable, but don't let that sweet face fool you. When a Labrador retriever named Skye knows it's time to work, she's all business.

On a recent case, Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer Cory Bentzoni, Carbon County, and the White Haven Police Department asked K9 Skye and her handler, PGC Special Investigator Dave Allen, Eastern Region, for assistance. Bentzoni and the White Haven Police had been unsuccessful in locating an individual believed to be hunting on institutional grounds.A vehicle was parked at the rear of a church, with its hatch facing the woods. A gun case was visible inside the vehicle. Skye began tracking away from the vehicle, air scenting and nosing the leaf litter, traveling about a half mile. A short time after she began pulling strongly on her lead, she came to a climbing tree stand.After a brief check of the stand, Skye began pulling even more strongly, leaving the woods and continuing to track along a dirt road for about thirty yards before heading back into the woods. The trail returned to the spot where the vehicle had been parked, but it was gone.Bentzoni contacted White Haven police, who stopped the vehicle and brought the person back to the scene. He admitted shooting two times from the climbing stand. Skye was returned to the area near the climbing stand and located two spent 7mm casings."The incident was a good display of the current abilities of the K9 Unit," Allen said. "K9 Skye was called to track and was able to be deployed to search for articles at the same scene - soon we will begin training in wildlife detection, which will add another tool for field officers to use."The PGC started its K9 program in 2000, but it was limited. It was brought back in 2014 and coupled with the new Special Investigator position. Allen was chosen for the program through an application and interview process; the position is based out of the Bureau of Wildlife Protection, Special Operations Division.K9 Skye comes from Maranatha Farm Kennels, West Buxton, Maine, owned by June Cawood. Her line of dogs has a history of work in tracking, article detection and wildlife detection; in addition, the kennel has a long list of references, health guarantees on the dogs and specializes in breeding dogs for search and rescue work.Allen got Skye when she was eight weeks old, so that the two could begin to form the necessary bond, and worked with her on house training and basic obedience commands. She wasn't sent to a trainer; instead, she and Allen attend training sessions. He got her April 6, 2015, and her first training session was May 11. PGC Executive Director Richard Palmer, who has extensive experience training military work dogs, runs the sessions."Honestly, the dog knows what to do," Allen said. "We are just learning to read what the dog is telling us."When Skye was only about six months old, she was able to track a trail that was an hour old. She can also find objects such as shell casings.Allen explained that the dogs will find various objects not natural to the environment - Skye has found a casino chip and a pair of glasses, for example -not just objects that are obviously related to hunting."We've already seen how much the K9 program can provide specialized assistance to field officers and special operations," Allen said. "Currently there are three such teams of K9s and handlers in the state, and I hope the program expands."