Meet Ellie, Peppa and Kai -- three sniffer dogs trained to find even the faintest traces of flammable liquids in buildings and outdoor areas they are completely unfamiliar with.
But all these loveable mutts are really interested in are tennis balls.
Fire investigations dog handler Matt Dixon has trained them since they were puppies to hunt out petrol, turpentine and similar fluids, all using the trusted fuzzy green objects.
"The training is all play-based," he says. "Everything they do is a game."
"You train them using tennis balls so you get the dogs massively focussed on the tennis ball and willing to search around for it. Then you reward the dog with one when they find the petrol, or whatever you want them to look for."
The whole process takes between six and nine months. Only then are the dogs ready for real investigations.
Some of their training takes place in mock buildings, or training towers, as they are called.
The one at Fallings Park Fire Station in Wolverhampton is three floors high, with all of the walls and floors made of a metal mesh that the dog can see through.
"From a dog's point of view it's a very alien environment," says Mr Dixon.
"From a very young age I take my dogs to places that are a bit weird. I need to be comfortable they are going to be happy with whatever environment I put them in.
"If I need to take them up on a hydraulic platform, for example, they need to be happy with that."

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