Shelter Dogs made good

Shelter dogs. Some perceive them as problem dogs while others, like the folks from the University of Washington's Center for Conservation Biology see them as potential candidates for a useful cause. The center introduced its Conservation Canines program in 1997 to train shelter dogs to find the scat of threatened species. Hyperactive dogs can prove to be too trying for pet owners but their obsessiveness and high level of energy can be put to good use in aiding conservation work. By collecting fecal samples sniffed out by these dogs, researchers are able to study endangered species worldwide. One such example of a shelter dog made good is Frehley, an 8-year-old Border collie rescued from the Seattle Animal Shelter in 2005. Since joining Conservation Canines, Frehley has been indispensable in aiding conservationists gather information on the endangered Jemez Mountains Salamander. Frehley and a team of other dogs were trained to trace the smell of salamander scat and distinguish between male and female salamanders, helping researchers estimate how many of the elusive species have survived a regional drought. Head Smith, the program’s manager told the New York Times, “Anything that has an odor you can train a dog to find.”

Dogs involved in the Conservation Canines program are not landbound but go out to sea as well, leading scientists to orca whales by detecting the scent of their scat while on board a boat.

Sadie, a 10 year old Labrador pointer mix, found a new lease of life working in this program after her owners gave her up due to her compulsive fixation with balls. Trained to sniff out orca scat, Sadie leads the team on board the research vessel, cueing them to the spot where the orca scat lies by twitching her ears or leaning in a particular direction. Whenever a sample is found, researchers carry it to her and immediately substitute it with her favourite toy, thereby establishing a link between work and reward. The highly beneficial results from this program are a testament to how obsessive traits in dogs can be harnessed to good use, advancing conservation efforts and saving “problematic” dogs simultaneously. The Canine Conservation website says that these dogs are “happy to work all day traversing plains, climbing up mountains, clambering over rocks and trekking through snow, all with the expectation of reward — playing with their ball — after successfully locating wildlife scat. We rescue these dogs and offer them a satisfying career travelling the world to help save numerous other species.”

We wonder if such a program is feasible in Singapore. If local researchers take a leaf from their American counterparts and set up a similar program, our local shelter dogs may just have the opportunity prove their naysayers wrong.

Source:

- http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/rescue-dogs-sniff-out-endangered-species