@PopularMechanics _ April 2019 15At Conservation Canines (known as CK9), a research program at the
University of Washington founded in 1997, handlers train rescue dogs
to locate environmental samples in the wild. Dogs—more specifically,
their noses—are more efficient and less invasive than other methods
of collecting data on wildlife, like radio collars or trapping. Jennifer
Hartman, one of the program’s nine handlers, has worked with CK
for 12 years and was “not really a dog person” until she met Max, an
Australian blue heeler mix, who scents for moose scat in upstate New
York. They start the day at 3 a.m., before the dew burns off, when smells
are strong. Scientists at Cornell University will analyze diet and toxin
information from the samples Max finds, looking for reasons why the
local moose population is down.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JAYMI HEIMBUCH