POULSBO — Since 2010, Poulsbo Police has relied on the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office if a drug investigation needed the powerful sniffer of a dog.

Chief Al Townsend told the City Council of his plan to bring a narcotics canine back to Poulsbo, which was approved at Wednesday’s meeting.

Townsend found the department’s drug seizure fund had enough to cover the initial costs of the new canine unit, and the dog’s work will essentially pay for itself.

Townsend told the council that 80 percent of the crime Poulsbo deals with has some “nexus” with drug activity. Having a dog trained to sniff out narcotics will help conduct safer and faster searches. The dog will not be trained in marijuana detection, which Townsend said is “somewhat ineffective” now in light of state law.

The initial cost of the dog, its training and equipment will be around $12,000, Townsend said. Care and feeding is estimated at $1,000 a year.

The department has $25,000 in its drug seizure fund, which can be used for drug enforcement. Proceeds from items confiscated during drug investigations goes into the fund.

Townsend hopes to purchase a dog and begin training it by the end of the year.