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A Port Macquarie dog has been adopted by a specialist unit at Corrective Services NSW.
Charlotte was based at the Port Macquarie Animal Shelter for around five weeks after being brought to the facility from Kempsey.
Port Macquarie Animal Shelter team leader Karissa Wood reached out to a contact in the Corrective Services NSW to see if Charlotte could be recruited.
"She wasn't coping [at the shelter], being a working breed," she said.
The Corrective Services NSW employee did an assessment on Charlotte and his feedback was positive.
"They thought she'd be a perfect fit," Ms Wood said.
It was a proud moment of Ms Wood's career when Charlotte was adopted by Corrective Services NSW.
"It's a highlight for me, a big highlight," she said.
Charlotte is now based in Sydney where she is undergoing training with the Corrective Services NSW's K9 Unit.
Corrective Services NSW's K9 Unit is a team of correctional officers and highly trained dogs, who assist with inmate search operations and visitor operations at NSW prisons.
"Regular searches include inmate mail, visitors and correctional centre grounds to help fight drugs and other contraband getting into the facilities," a Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said.
K9 Operations Assistant Superintendent Luke Haynes said Charlotte shows promise as a working dog.
"Charlotte showed very good nerves when in our custodial environment and has a good hunt drive for her toy," he said.
"She will be trained by the K9 training team for the next few months, to be potentially teamed with a handler on an intensive 14-week K9 handling and training course in early to mid-next year."
A Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said dogs develop a close bond with their handler and live with them when they aren't required for work duties.
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