Jared Fogle Child Porn Raid Police Dog: Rare Sniffing Skills Critical In 'Subway Guy' Investigation

Jared Fogle credits Subway for his weight loss. But he can blame Bear for his prison sentence. Bear, a 2-year-old black Labrador Retriever who works as a police dog, reportedly used his rare ability to sniff out electronics to uncover important pieces of evidence in the recent federal investigation into Fogle's possession of child pornography.

Fogle, known also as "the Subway Guy" for his role in the sandwich chain's advertising campaigns for more that a decade, pleaded guilty Wednesday to having and distributing child porn as well as traveling across state lines to have sex with underage girls. He's expected to spend between five and 12 years in prison as a result.

Bear, one of three police dogs in the United States who has been trained to detect electronics, was critical to police last month during their 11-hour search of Fogle's house in Zionsville, Indiana, WTTV reported. With Bear's help, officers were able to analyze a host of devices, including 16 smartphones, 10 flash drives and six laptops, according to RTV6.

"You think about investigators going into a house and trying to find a micro SD card that is as big [as] a fingernail. It will take investigators hours, especially if someone is trying to hide it," handler Todd Jordan said in July. "Bear is unique because he can sniff out SD cards, thumb drives, external hard drives, iPads and micro SD cards."

Fogle wasn't Bear's first case. He's worked with authorities on four other investigations led by the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force. It also won't be his last: Since his involvement in Fogle's case has made news, Bear's trainer has received more than 30 inquiries about where police can buy electronics-sniffing dogs.

Starting next week, Bear will be a part of the Seattle Police Department. “It’ll be bittersweet,” Jordan told WISHTV. “It’s sad to see him go, but the type of work he’s doing, it’s very rewarding.”