BOTANY
HERPETOLOGY
H. T. Harvey & Associates conducted a pilot study (Ayres et al. 2016) with Lauralea Oliver as lead trainer/handler, to test the feasibility of using detection dogs for surveys of giant garter snakes. This study was followed with a field survey (Powers et al. 2016) in areas with a low probability of occurrence. The training and trials of the detection dog teams demonstrated that the dogs could detect giant garter snake scent in a controlled field setting with low error rates.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
MAMMALS
SCENTdog, Vector, was trained to recognize the scent of Lompoc kangaroo rats by using their fecal pellets. Training comprised discriminating the scent of Lompoc kangaroo rats from the scents of co-occurring small mammal species, including the California pocket mouse, California mouse, and deer mouse.
RESIDENTIAL MOLD DETECTION
K9inSCENTIVE was contracted to acquire and train an effective mold scent detection dog team for LA-based residential mold inspector, based The Mold Scout. An appropriate working canine, a springer spaniel named Kirby, was identified, evaluated and acquired. Training was conducted on the scent of various selected mold species
WASTEWATER DETECTION
To improve both the effectiveness and the efficiency of the City of Flint- Water Pollution Control’s E. coli monitoring efforts, a canine specialized in the detection of human waste will be utilized. The creation of the City of Flint- Water Pollution Control’s Canine Scent Tracking Program will use a Sniffer Dog to establish a more efficient way to locate and eliminate sources of human fecal contamination in the surface waters within the City of Flint- Water Pollution Control, a Phase I storm water area.