Yeah. Drug dogs are not so reliable, mostly because they are dogs, no one knows what they are thinking and you sure as shit can't ask. Its kind of insulting that in so many cases the line between you and your right to privacy is left up to a friggin dog, ya know? Anyway, if you google drug dog statistics for false-positives or whatever, its even more insulting. They really are not very reliable unless they're in a very controlled familiar environment, which is exactly what the side of any road or inside of any strangers house is not.
Personal anecdote: I live in st. Louis, and in 2011when that massive tornado hit Joplin, MO (http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=XT7CtF5ljxY people knew about this I'm pretty sure, it was huge). So my buddy and I were driving to Joplin for a weekend to help clean up debris and witness the destruction, we got pulled over halfway by a small town cop and his dog.
Politely as possible we explain our plans, I tell him I can't consent to a search after he asks, he wants us to step out so his dog can do a round. I knew I had nothing other than two unopened 30 packs in the trunk, less than a month away from my 21st, I might add. Though I did have a bad feeling that this was just the type of small town Jo that would just love to fuck over a couple of city slickers.
(FYI: The previous owner of the 1991 chevy celica I was driving at the time was my grandmother, who had passed away a few months earlier and left me the car. Between 1991 to 2011 she managed to drive just 48,000 miles in that car, and AFAIK consume 0 drugs inside of it, nor had I. Just making clear here how absolutely positive I was that this car was drug free.}
So, before the dog starts I ask the officer very calmly, and with just as much curiosity as concern really, if he could tell me what it is that the dog does to signal something illegal is inside the car? No dice. We go back and forth a minute, and I give up. Now I just want the dog to get it over with so we can get the fuck out of there. Well, wouldn't you know it? the dog indicated. I couldn't tell you what the fuck the indication was, so what the am I supposed to say? "Officer, sir, I am still not consenting."
"Don't matter if you consent now, dog indicated."
"I'd still like to make it clear Sir that I am not consenting to this search." Pop goes the trunk, there's the 30s, you'd think the jerk had just found Osama in there. He says accusingly "so what you boys were gonna go volunteer all drunk, huh?" Give me a break.
So just as hojack is pretending to contemplate whether he'll just give us MIP tickets or take us in for a night, highway cop pulls up. He steps out talks to hojack for a sec, talks to me, talks to my bud, back to hojack who is starting to look pissed. Highway cop turns " alright you boys dump those beers out on the side of the road there and be on your way, drive safely."
No tickets nothing. I can't even remember why he said he pulled us over anymore. So that's that. Dog doesn't even have to false-positive is the moral of that story, I guess. Not like anyone would know the difference. Fucker didn't indicate shit.