Working Dogs for Conservation (WDC) formed in 2000 to collect information-rich wildlife and plant samples using specially trained dogs, utilizing techniques similar to those used in search and rescue and narcotics detection.

One of the questions we often hear when we explain that we train dogs to find scat, plants and live animals is “why?”

By locating scat samples we are able to identify species’ presence, abundance, food habits, parasite loads, and habitat use. Analyses of hormones extracted from scats can show reproductive status while genetic analyses of the DNA contained in scat is used to identify species, sex and individuals, and determine population size, home range, paternity and kinship.

When our dogs systematically find these data-rich deposits, we increase the information available for species preservation. The same is true when our dogs locate rare, cryptic live animals on the landscape—we learn more about their habitat requirements and areas where they need increased protection. In the case of invasive species, both plant and animal, locating new arrivals or the last vestiges of a population is one of the most powerful tools in eradication efforts.

After spending years testing our dogs and our skills as trainers to teach them to locate this crucial on-the-ground information, we now focus our work with researchers and managers to address three conservation priorities:

1) Corridors & connectivity

2) Invasive species

3) Wildlife monitoring (e.g., renewable energy impacts, reducing human-wildlife conflict)