Working Dogs for Conservation

Working for Conservation

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:10:47 +0000

Working Dogs for Conservation (WDC) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization committed to developing and furthering the training and use of canine-human teams for non-invasive scientific inquiry, conservation, and management. We provide and promote fielding experienced dog/handler teams, training dogs and/or handlers, and program development and support.

Megan Parker

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Megan Parker, Co-Founder and Executive Director, grew up in Montana, where she was inspired to a career in conservation. She received her B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont and her M.S. from Boise State University in raptor ecology, studying falcons in Guatemala. She has worked as a biologist in many states in the U.S., Canada, Central America, Asia and Africa. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Montana, researching scent marking behavior and chemistry for conservation of African wild dogs in northern Botswana. She helped develop the methods for detection dogs in conservation beginning in 1996 while working with wolves in Idaho. Megan has been involved in dog training since childhood with a focus in obedience and search and rescue disciplines. She is interested in the international application of working dogs in conservation to help developing countries and under funded projects acquire excellent samples and reduce costs.

Publications

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Mackay, P., D.A. Smith, R. Long, and M. Parker. 2008. Scat Detection Dogs. In: Long, R., P. Mackay, J. Ray and W. Zielinski (eds.), Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores (pp. 183-222). Island Press.

Reindl-Thompson, S.A., J. Shivik, A. Whitelaw, A. Hurt, K. Higgins. 2006.
Efficacy of Scent Dogs in Detecting Black-Footed Ferrets at a Reintroduction Site in South Dakota.Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(5):1435–1439

Smith, D. A., K. Ralls, B. L. Cypher, H. O. Clark, Jr., P. A. Kelly, D. F. Williams, and J. E. Maldonado. 2006 a.Relative abundance of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) based on scat-detection dog surveys. Southwestern Naturalist 51:210-219

Smith, D. A., K. Ralls, A. Hurt, B. Adams, M. Parker, and J. E. Maldonado. 2006 b.
Assessing reliability of microsatellite genotypes from kit fox fecal samples using genetic and GIS analyses. Molecular Ecology 15:387-406

Smith, D. A., K. Ralls, B. L. Cypher, and J. E. Maldonado. 2005. Assessment of scat-detection dog surveys to determine kit fox distribution. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33:897-904

Ralls, K. and D.A. Smith. 2004. Latrine use by San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and coyotes (Canis latrans).Western North American Naturalist 64:544-547

Smith, D., K. Ralls, A. Hurt, B. Adams, M. Parker, B. Davenport, M.C. Smith, and J.E. Maldonado. 2003. Detection and accuracy rates of dogs trained to find scats of San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica). Animal Conservation 6:339-346

Smith D., K. Ralls, B. Davenport, B. Adams, and J.E. Maldonado. 2001. Canine assistants for conservationists. Science 291:435

Hurt A., B. Davenport and E. Greene. 2000.Training dogs to distinguish between black bear (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) feces.University of Montana Under-Graduate Biology Journal.

Our Story

admin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:36:17 +0000

Increasing concern about the status of rare species and endangered wildlife populations has spurred the development of non-invasive methods for wildlife censusing, monitoring and research. Examples of non-invasive sampling methods include photographic traps, hair snag stations, and fecal (scat) collection. In particular, scat samples can provide a wealth of information such as a species’ presence, relative abundance, food habits, parasite loads, habitat use and home range size. Furthermore, analyses of endocrine extracted from scats can determine the sex and reproductive status of individuals, and analyses of the DNA contained in scat can verify species and sex, and potentially determine population size, home range, paternity, and kinship.

Use of non-invasive approaches to obtain critical data requires that wildlife or sign (e.g. scat, urine, hair, dens) be easily located, a difficult task in rugged terrain and among animals with extensive home ranges. To reduce the difficulty, Working Dogs for Conservation (WDC) handlers have trained working dogs to differentiate and locate by scent target species or their sign. The denning, hibernation, or burrowing traits of some species make them excellent candidates for location by canine olfaction. Over the past decade, WDC dogs have been trained to detect a variety of wildlife scat (such as black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, cougar, kit fox and fisher), live wildlife (wolf snails, black-footed ferrets, brown tree snakes and desert tortoises) and plants (Kincaid’s lupine, spotted knapweed and dyer’s woad). WDC aims to expand the use of conservation dogs in wildlife research and is always seeking new applications and partnerships with researchers, managers and conservation organizations.

WDC has participated in the design and implementation of various projects, trained canine-handlers, performed data analysis, and prepared presentations, reports, and manuscripts for publication. Furthermore, samples collected by WDC teams have been used for forensic and disease investigations, monitoring, mark recapture estimates, genetic analyses and physiological analyses.

Conservation’s Best Friend

admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:06:31 +0000

Wicket, a Labrador retriever mix, steals through clumps of dried knapweed along the banks of Greenough Park. It’s a gray April day, and alternating rain and light snow have made the dead leaves soggy. The dog’s quarry, a light brown snail the size of a thumb, is well camouflaged.

he search goes hot, then cold, then hot again. Aimee Hurt, Wicket’s handler and associate director of the Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation (WDCF), coaches the dog with an outstretched finger and a few encouraging words. Wicket, nose to ground, hardly pays attention. She’s focused, intent, energized, a veteran. When she finally catches the faintest scent trail and pinpoints her target, she sits and locks eyes with Hurt. Towering over the snail in her flashy orange vest, Wicket looks imposing.

That’s Hurt’s cue. She tosses a pink and blue ball from her belt pack and Wicket goes nuts. The dog darts around the brush until she finds a good spot to sit and gnaw. Wicket’s rookie coworker, Orbee, barks and whines from the back of Hurt’s pickup, antsy for his turn.

Read More: Conservation’s Best Friend,

(published in the Missoula Independent, by Alex Sakariassen; photos: Chad Harder)

Projects

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WDC staff and collaborators in Oahu, searching for the exotic, invasive wolf snail.

2010

Coming Soon…

2009

Montana: Research into the olfactory capabilities of dogs in detecting various noxious weeds in collaboration with the University of Montana.
Hawaii: Research into the application of dogs to search for the invasive snail Euglandina rosea, considered one of the world’s 100 worst invaders with Oahu Army Natural Resources Program and the University of Hawaii.
Illinois: Franklin’s ground squirrel detection for University of Illinois, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.
Montana/Idaho: Fisher scat detection for the United States Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Montana/Idaho: WDC led grizzly bear, wolf, lynx, fisher and wolverine, scat detection in collaboration with the Great Burn Study Group.
Washington: Multiple forest carnivore scat detection with Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute’s Cascades Connectivity Project.
New Jersey: Training conservation dog team to detect live bog turtles with NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, ENSP.
Species Screening: WDC led research into screening of samples collected by humans for identification of snow leopard scats in collaboration with the International Snow Leopard Trust.

Working Dog Wicket sitting among her score on a record-setting day finding bear scat (47 in one day!) on the Wildlife Conservation Society's Carnivore Connectivity project.

2008

Training for detection of the noxious weed, Dyer’s woad (Isatis tinctoria) for Montana State University.
Nevada: Desert tortoise detection for the Desert Research Institute.
New York: Moose scat detection for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Return of the Moose Assessment.
Illinois: Franklin’s ground squirrel detection for University of Illinois, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.
Idaho: Fisher scat detection for the United States Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Idaho and Montana: Black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, and cougar scat detection for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Centennial Carnivore Connectivity Project.
Washington: Black bear, cougar and pine martin scat detection for Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute’s Cascades Connectivity Project.
California: Kit fox scat detection for the Smithsonian Institution and California State University, Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program; environmental Site Restoration, Inc; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Individual identification of snow leopard scats in collaboration with the International Snow Leopard Trust.
Oregon: Testing of dogs for the detection of the threatened prairie plant, Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus sulphureus spp. kincaidii) in collaboration with the Oregon Wildlife Institute and the Nature Conservancy.
New Jersey: Training conservation dog team to detect live bog turtles with NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, ENSP

2007

Idaho and Montana: Fisher scat detection for the United States Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
California: Kit fox scat searches for the La Paloma Conservation Preserve, LLC.
California: Kit fox scat searches for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Montana: Training and deployment for detection of the noxious weed, Dyers woad (Isatis tinctoria) with Montana State University.
Idaho and Montana: Black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, and cougar scat detection for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Centennial Carnivore Connectivity Project.
Argentina: Dog selection and handler training for detection of Andean cat scat for the “Conservation Transfrontier for the Andean Cat” in collaboration with Oxford University and the Museum of Natural Sciences, Salta, Argentina.
Individual identification of snow leopard scats in collaboration with the International Snow Leopard Trust.
Oregon: Initial training for the detection of a threatened prairie plant, Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus sulphureus spp. kincaidii) in collaboration with the Oregon Wildlife Institute.
New Jersey: Dog and handler follow up training and assessment for bobcat and pine snake detection program for New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Guam: Extended conservation dog/handler team training for detection of brown tree snakes in collaboration with Dogwerks All Breed Training, contracted by U.S. Geological Survey for the deployment of conservation dog/handler teams to Guam and surrounding Pacific islands.

2006

California: Kit fox scat searches for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Idaho and Montana: Black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, and cougar scat detection for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Centennial Carnivore Connectivity Project.
Montana: Dog and handler training and testing for detection of early incursions of spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) for Montana State University.
Guam: Extended conservation dog/handler team training for detection of brown tree snakes in collaboration with Dogwerks All Breed Training, contracted by U.S. Geological Survey for the deployment of conservation dog/handler teams to Guam and surrounding Pacific islands.

2005

Idaho and Montana: Black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, and cougar scat detection for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Centennial Carnivore Connectivity Project.
Colorado: Black-footed ferret detection for Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management.
Montana: Wolf scat detection in collaboration with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; funded by the Twin Spruce Foundation.
Montana: Dog and handler training and testing for detection of early incursions of spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) for Montana State University.
New Jersey: Dog selection and handler training for bobcat and pine snake detection program for New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Guam: Extended conservation dog/handler team training for detection of brown tree snakes in collaboration with Dogwerks All Breed Training, contracted by U.S. Geological Survey for the deployment of conservation dog/handler teams to Guam and surrounding Pacific islands.

2004

Idaho and Montana: Black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, and cougar scat detection for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Centennial Carnivore Connectivity Project.
Nevada : Desert tortoise detection for the University of Redlands and the Desert Research Institute.
California : Dog selection and handler training in Hopland, CA, for University of CA, Berkeley, red and gray fox scat detection.
Far East Russia: Discrimination scent-testing workshop in Lazo, Russia in collaboration with Amur Tiger Scent Dog Monitoring Project and Dr. Linda Kerley and Save the Tiger Fund.
Kenya : Dog selection and handler training in Laikipia, Kenya, cheetah and African wild dog scat detection in collaboration with Samburu-Laikipia Wild Dog Project and the Tanzania Carnivore Project.
Guam: Extended conservation dog/handler team training for detection of brown tree snakes in collaboration with Dogwerks All Breed Training, contracted by U.S. Geological Survey for the deployment of conservation dog/handler teams to Guam and surrounding Pacific islands.

2003

South Dakota : Black-footed ferret detection in collaboration with South Dakota State University, United State Fish and Wildlife Service, United State Forest Service, and the Black-footed Ferret Foundation.
California : Kit fox scat searches in collaboration with the University of Washington and the Smithsonian Institution.
California : Red and gray fox scat searches for the United States Geologic Survey.
Montana : Dog selection and handler training seminar in Missoula, MT, for University of CA, Berkeley, cougar scat detection.

2002

Montana: Forensic search for illegally killed and snow-buried wolves in collaboration with United States Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement, Montana State Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
California : Kit fox natal den searches in collaboration with the University of Washington and the Smithsonian Institution.

2001

Montana : Black-footed ferret detection in collaboration with United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Montana : Lynx scat searches for United States Forest Service.
California : Kit fox scat research project in collaboration with the University of Washington and the Smithsonian Institution.
Washington : Discrimination scent-testing between kit and red fox scats in collaboration with the University of Washington, Smithsonian Institution, and PackLeader Dog Training.

2000

California : Kit fox scat searches in collaboration with the University of Washington and the Smithsonian Institution.
Montana : Discrimination scent-testing between grizzly and black bear scats in collaboration with the University of Montana and PackLeader Dog Training.

Aimee Hurt

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Aimee Hurt, Co-founder and Associate Director, received a B.A. from University of Montana in biology, where her studies emphasized zoology, ecology, and entomology and she received a fellowship and endowment for studying the ability of dogs to differentiate the scats of two closely related species (black bears and grizzly bears). Aimee has worked with conservation dogs since 1998 and is passionate about training, field work and dog rescue. Her professional interests include understanding the potential and limitations of canine olfaction, perfecting laboratory discrimination experiments on various scents and ensuring that dog/handler teams in this field of detection remain highly trained, consistent tools.

Alice Whitelaw

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:26:57 +0000

Alice Whitelaw, Co-founder and Programs Director, received a B.A. in Biology from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and a A.A.Sc. in Veterinary Medical Technology from Central Carolina Community College. She has worked as a field biologist for universities, NGO’s and state and federal agencies for over 18 years and has participated in wildlife research throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Russia. She has been involved in dog training for over 21 years and has focused on detection dog disciplines since 1998. Her professional interests include disease aspects of wildlife, carnivore behavior, particularly canids, endangered species restoration and refining the training and use of detection dogs in wildlife research and monitoring.

Deborah Smith

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:08:36 +0000

Deborah Smith, Co-founder and Conservation Director, received her B.S. in biology from Saint Mary’s College of California, her M.S. in integrative biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in wildlife science from the University of Washington, Seattle. Since 1991, she has been active in wildlife research and conservation efforts throughout the U.S. and Canada, worked with numerous threatened and endangered species, and explored genetic issues of wild populations. Her Ph.D. research focused on San Joaquin kit fox conservation, non-invasive monitoring methods for rare species, and evaluation of the use of specialized detection dogs to obtain species and population information. In addition, Deborah has a wealth of background in obedience, behavior, and detection dog training disciplines. She has worked as a professional dog trainer for over 19 years, operating several highly successful canine development programs in the northwestern States, and worked specifically with conservation dogs since 1999. Deborah has a broad range of professional interests in wildlife science, and shares a common goal with the other WDC co-founders of advancing research and continuing the evolution of the detection dog method for conservation and management purposes.

The Nose Knows: How scent-detecting dogs locate fishers, lynx, and other hard-to-find wildlife species

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:41:00 +0000

Read more about WDC and Pepin, a Belgian Malinois, a European breed trained for drug and explosives detection, search and rescue, and personal protection (it’s the only breed used by the U.S. Secret Service). Pepin has been trained to smell the scat (feces) of fishers, a large member of the weasel family. Fishers are one of the rarest animals in the Rocky Mountains. Researchers at the Missoula-based U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station are working with Parker, co-founder of the Montana-based Working Dogs for Conservation (WDC), and her canine crew to locate the rare predators and better understand why so few exist.