Bootleggers beware: DVD pirating is going to the dogs.  Literally.

Last Wednesday, the district attorney’s office in Queens, New York reported on the success of a police raid, where a substantial inventory of counterfeit DVDs was undermined.  But what set this particular raid apart from the ordinary, everyday struggle to stop the illegal distribution of popular films, were two black Labradors—Lucky and Flo—the newest offensive against a billion-dollar industry.

The dogs use their highly-trained sense of smell to identify chemicals used in the DVDs, and, according to law enforcement, have become a legitimate threat to bootleggers.  Said Queens District Attorney Robert Brown, Man’s best friend has become a DVD counterfeiters worst nightmare.

This marks the first canine-assisted bust in the United States after the dogs helped put a stop to a major pirating operation in Malaysia last March.  With sponsorship from the Motion Picture Association of America, the dogs are sure to have a long, effective tour in the states.

One thing’s for sure: major bootlegging outfits have a new enemy—one with big teeth, fast legs and an inexplicable aversion to copyright infringement.