MARYSVILLE, Wash. – A Washington State Patrol drug detection dog has just received a prestigious award. Moto is a canine with a nose for drugs.

But that's a world away from where he was found in Oregon a few years ago during an animal cruelty investigation.

"He was kept in a dog travel crate, in about 2 inches of feces and urine, and he was pretty bad off. He was almost dead," recalled his WSP partner, Trooper Jason Knott.

Moto was rescued by a group called "Law Dogs USA" in Olympia. They take pit bulls like Moto who show promise, and train them to be drug detection dogs.

"…very gentle and docile. He loves to hunt and find the items that we're trained to find," said Knott.

And find them he does. Nearly 400 finds have led the State Veterinary Association to induct Moto into their Hall of Fame.

Trooper Kirk Rudeen says the award is well deserved.

"The dog, with his sense of smell which is so acute, can find numerous things in the car that we would've missed," he said.

But it's not just Moto's nose that makes him special. It's his non-stop drive.

"At the end of the night, I actually have to physically pull him out of the car because he doesn't want to quit working. That's all he wants to do," said Knott.