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For many years, sniffer dogs have been detecting illicit drug labs in housing complexes around the world.

It's also has become a hot legal issue in the super-litigious United States.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that canines are doing this work in Vancouver.

This morning, CBC Radio News has reported that more sniffer dogs are being deployed by Vancouver-area landlords in public areas of buildings.

The station quoted Margrett Donley, the long-time director of administration at Canadian K9 Detection Security and Investigations Ltd.

Canadian K9 Group's website offers a drug-sniffing dog service for people "who may be concerned with drug use in their homes".

It's not the first time this issue has been covered in the local media. As far back as 2006, then Vancouver Sun reporter Nicholas Read wrote about how drug-sniffing dogs were being used to warn landlords of illicit operations in their buildings.

Many years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that police dogs cannot do random drug searches in public places.

However, that decision didn't apply to private-sector companies that own sniffer dogs.

More recently in 2013, Canada's highest court clarified the rules in the use of sniffer dogs. It ruled that it's legal for police to use these canines in warrantless searches if there's a "reasonable suspicion based on objective, ascertainable facts" that criminal activity might be occurring.