working dog Archives

Voters Choose Perfect Name For Goose-Control Dog

Wild geese can cause safety problems at places like airports and parks. That’s why organizations like Flyaway Geese exist. They train Border Collies to manage the geese, humanely moving them out of the way, saving their lives and keeping people safe. One such working dog is being assigned to the airport in Bentonville. After a public voting process, the working dog has received a very suitable name. Geese Can be a Danger to Themselves and Others Large populations of geese … Read more

Guide Dog Dropout Becomes ‘Custody Canine’ For UK Police Station

River, like so many other 5-year-old Labs, loves to chase squirrels. For most dogs, this personality trait is a mere inconvenience; but for River, it resulted in her removal from a guide dog training program. This gorgeous gal wasn’t cut out for work with the blind, but her calm, gentle nature made her the perfect choice for a new form of police service. The “Custody Canine” pilot project at Maidstone Police Station in Kent, UK utilizes River’s unique skills to … Read more

New TSA Adoption Program Gives K9 Dropouts A Chance To Find Good Homes

TSA dogs are now a common sight in major airports, but those hard-working pups weren’t born on the job. They’re carefully selected and trained before they’re deemed ready to don official vests. Professional government work, however, isn’t for every pooch. Not every dog has the personality and drive to be good at the job, and some dogs don’t make it through training. So what happens to these K9 drop-outs? They deserve good homes, and the TSA Adoption Program makes sure … Read more

Retired Bomb-Sniffing Dog Adopted By Former Marine 7 Years After Serving Together

Seven years of separation have done nothing to weaken the relationship former Marine Nick Montez has with his bomb-sniffing dog named Mally. Their bond was forged on the battlefield, but back on the home-front, they’re happy to finally be family once again. When Montez first met Mally, he had never had a dog before. It didn’t take long, however, for him to realize Mally was going to be a significant part of his life. The duo was eventually deployed to … Read more

UPDATE: Hero Police K9/ Netflix Star Succumbs To “Sudden, Untreatable Illness”

Updated 5/16/22 Just two months after a movie based on her life premiered on Netflix, Ruby the hero police dog has passed away. According to a Facebook post from the Rhode Island State Police, K-9 Ruby was put to sleep following a “sudden, acute, and untreatable illness.” The story of the remarkable pooch and her handler Cpl. Daniel O’Neil inspired the Netflix film, Rescued By Ruby. Before joining the force, Ruby, an Australian Shepherd and Border Collie mix, was an … Read more

Brain Scans May Eventually Help Determine Which Dogs Would Make The Best Bomb-Sniffers

It takes a special dog to be a focused, astute bomb-sniffer, and it should come as no surprise that pouring care and training into detection-dogs-in-the-making is a huge investment of both time and money. Despite being groomed since puppyhood, some pooches simply don’t possess the characteristics to be effective bomb-sniffing dogs, or to do so happily. So, what if there was a test that could determine whether a dog would make an ideal candidate before the investment was made? You may … Read more

California Police Dog Makes Huge Drug Bust First Day On The Job

For six weeks, K9 Rye trained alongside his human handler, Officer Iside, to prepare for his future as a police dog. The two-year-old Belgian Malinois learned obedience and protection, and he also spent hundreds of hours learning the special skills he’d need to be a successful drug detection dog. The hours were long, yet rewarding, and at the end of the program, K9 Rye and Officer Iside received high marks in every category. It wasn’t an easy process, but K9 … Read more

Do Therapy Dogs Like Their Jobs?

With a growing list of places where you might run into a therapy dog, it’s easy to see real-life examples of the good work they’re known for. They visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and even airports to bring their special breed of emotional support to two-leggers of all ages. Science has already proven therapy dogs make real differences when it comes to emotional well-being. We know the people are happy, but what about the dogs? Most people know what it … Read more

Veteran With PTSD Battles To Buy Working Dog He’s Loved For Over 3 Years

Silox is not a service dog. He is a five-year-old explosive detection K-9 owned by government contractor, Inter-Con Security Systems. For the past three-and-a-half years, Silox has lived with his handler, Bobby Kling, a disabled veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In that time, Kling has seen a marked improvement in the PTSD-related anxiety he suffers from. Upon resigning from his position with Inter-Con, Kling requested to purchase Silox. His request was denied, sparking his latest battle – this … Read more

Pup-In-Training Joins Museum Staff To Sniff Out Pests & Protect Precious Artwork

Three-month-old Riley is currently a gangly-legged, floppy-eared puppy. But with a little growing and a lot of training, he will soon become a vital asset to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The gorgeous Weimeraner pup was chosen for his breed’s intelligence and powerful sense of smell. Riley will use these gifts to sniff out moths and other pests that could potentially damage the museum’s precious artwork. Staff believe Riley will be the very first museum dog with this particular … Read more

Former Stray Breaks Record For Sniffing Out Airport Contraband

8-year-old Beagle Mix, Skipper, was once a mere statistic, languishing in a Michigan shelter until a staff member recognized his potential as a working dog. After training at the National Detector Dog Training Center in Georgia, Skipper embarked on a new career as a contriband-sniffing dog at the San Francisco International Airport. His job is to locate undeclared produce, plants and meat that could potentially introduce harmful pests into the country. Skipper is now responsible for more than 20,000 idividual seizures – … Read more

Talented Dog Tries Multiple Careers Until His True Gift Really Shines Through

There was never any doubt four-year-old Jake was meant to do something special. When he was a puppy, the Labrador mix from Tennessee started training to be a search and rescue dog. He learned how to sniff out bodies trapped under collapsed buildings, and he excelled during training. He had the nose for the job, but sensitive paws meant Jake couldn’t scramble over collapsed walls and debris without putting himself in danger. https://www.facebook.com/112690202698843/photos/a.112701546031042.1073741828.112690202698843/114167285884468/?type=3&theater When his career as a search and … Read more

Former “Unadoptable” Shelter Dog Joins Search & Rescue Efforts In Texas

Rocket began his life as a stray puppy wandering the streets of Sacramento, California. Sadly, shelter officials deemed him unadoptable due to his boisterous nature. Just one day before his scheduled euthanasia, he was saved by a group that trains dogs for search and rescue missions. This week, the former death row dog deployed to Texas with his handler, Windsor Fire Protection District firefighter, Mike Stornetta to assist in the rescue efforts. Rocket and Stornetta’s mission to Hurricane Harvey’s hardest-hit areas … Read more

9 Modern Uses For Military Dogs

You’ve probably seen drug-sniffing dogs at the airport, and you may be vaguely aware that there are bomb-sniffing dogs working overseas, but did you know there are a variety of tasks military dogs are trained for? Some dogs are trained for only one purpose, but some are trained for 2 or more. Here are 9 types of modern military dogs. Single-Purpose Single-purpose dogs are trained to do one thing and do it well. #1 – Narcotics Detector Dog (NDD) Scent-detecting … Read more

8 Breeds That Need A Job To Do

All dogs were developed for a specific purpose, usually to do some form of work. Most dogs are now bred to be companions, but some breeds still retain so much working instinct that they can be destructive if they aren’t given lots of exercise and mental stimulation. With information from Wikipedia, Paw Culture, VetStreet, and Pawed In, here are 8 breeds that need a job to do in order to stay out of trouble. #1 – Weimaraner Created to be a … Read more

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