An American company is using dogs as detectives to sniff out contamination such as human poop in water sources to protect public health and the environment.
Environmental Canine Services, based in Clinton county, Michigan, is using Crush, a perky Jack Russell terrier -- Australian Cattle dog mix, and seven other dogs to help local government save time and and money in the elimination process.
The dogs, as detectives, are contributing immensely in protecting public health and the environment.
They have worked on 75 projects in nine different states and will add two more states to the list with jobs in Vermont and Connecticut next month, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Dog trainers Karen Reynolds and Scott Reynolds, who has worked as an environmental scientist, started this business in 2009 in Lansing.
Scott was often tasked with tedious, time-consuming storm water testing for bacteria such as E coli, mainly derived from human waste and can seriously sicken people, because of his work.
It was Scott's boss who suggested they train a dog to sniff out human waste in rivers, streams or other water, Karen said.
The couple tried with one of their dogs, and it worked.
"It's similar to training any scenting dog - a narcotics dog; a search-and-rescue dog," she said. "It is the same principle, just a different scent."
"What might take people several months to track sources, sometimes the dogs can get close to the source in a day," she said.
As word got around about the service, demand grew.
"We are the only company in the world that does this, that we know of," she said.
