Airport hires 2 border collies for crucial safety task on runways: 'It's a tough job'

If any kind of story is guaranteed to make people let out an audible "aww," it's one about happy dogs doing something they love. For a pair of border collies in West Virginia, that's chasing away nuisance birds in the name of airport safety.

As reported by The Associated Press, Chris Keyser and his two border collies, Hercules and Ned, have been working at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston as wildlife specialists. Included in their job duties is patrolling the airfield to ensure that birds and other wildlife are a safe distance from planes. Not only does this keep passengers and crew safe, but it also saves a small fortune in damages.

Although the idea may sound like it came straight out of a movie, the working dogs come from humble beginnings. Before his airport post, Hercules was carefully trained by wildlife management firm Flyaway Geese to herd geese and sheep.

While reflecting on Hercules' pathway to his employment at Yeager, Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson admitted that she was initially apprehensive. "I held my breath. But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place," Gibson said.

Hercules and Keyser have been employed at the West Virginia airport since 2018. Ned came aboard in 2024, and that addition has come in handy. "It's an all-day job when it's raining," Keyser told USA Today. "It's a tough job."

Despite the amount of training and effort that goes into managing wildlife, Keyser revealed that he gets as much satisfaction out of the job as Hercules and Ned. "I like making a difference here at the airport, keeping people safe who are flying in and out of here," Keyser said, per USA Today.

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Wildlife strikes on aircraft can be a common occurrence, but only a small fraction result in accidents that cause serious injuries or fatalities. While thousands of strikes are reported annually, most do not lead to significant issues. In the U.S. in 2023 alone, there were about 19,400 strikes at 713 airports.

Although wildlife strikes are not typically fatal, they can be very costly. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that bird and other wildlife strikes to aircraft cause an estimated $900 million in damage to U.S. civil and military aircraft each year.

Knowing that he and his canine co-workers are keeping people safe is something that Keyser takes pride in.

"Especially when somebody's in a terminal and might be sad — or just putting a smile on everybody's face," Keyser added, per USA Today. "It makes me feel good, and it makes these dogs feel good too, because it makes them feel special."