Experts enlist unlikely helpers for crucial task in nature area: 'A fantastic example of nature helping nature'

Locating an elusive, tiny animal such as the Jemez Mountains salamander is a daunting task for researchers. The species reaches only 4-5 inches in length and roughly the diameter of a pencil, spending the bulk of the year underground and only emerging during summer rains while still remaining hidden under rocks and logs.

That's where Sampson, a black Labrador, and Frehley, a border collie, come in, Outside Magazine reported. They are the products of Conservation Canines, a Seattle-based organization that trains rescue dogs to become wildlife trackers. 

Researchers are uncertain of the status of the salamanders because of their secretive nature. Surveys from the 1970s showed up to 100 individuals, while more recent studies have barely turned up 10. 

But the cause is uncertain: Are they declining because of drought conditions or adapting to the changing climate? If the species were to disappear, it would have a domino effect on the local environment because of its rarity, especially considering it's an amphibian in a typically dry climate. 

Dogs such as Sampson and Frehley can help researchers gain more accurate results by quickly sniffing out the salamanders. Typically, the dogs are trained on scat samples, but in the case of the salamanders and their small size, the dogs were trained with a handful of captured individuals to learn their scent. 

Tracking wildlife with dogs is a minimally invasive way to survey populations, especially those of threatened or endangered species. 

"When we look for salamanders in rotting logs, we usually have to break them apart to find the animals, so we're kind of destroying their habitat while looking for them," Anne Bradley, manager of The Nature Conservancy's Forest Conservation Program, told Outside.

While Sampson and Frehley are doing good work, they don't work for free.

"We carry a ball with us, and when the dogs find what we want them to find, they sit to signify the location," Sampson's handler, Julianne Ubigau, told the outlet. "We reward them with a quick play session, then we put the ball away and get back to work." 

Sampson and Frehley aren't the only dogs working to help preserve nature. Working Dogs for Conservation, an organization similar to Conservation Canines, employs dogs to detect rare species such as sea wolves in Canada and kit foxes in the United States, training rescue dogs and giving them new purposes.

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The opportunities provided by these organizations are perfect for high-energy dogs that often end up in shelters and are in need of healthy outlets for their natural instincts. 

A video about Frehley's exploits tracking salamanders by The Nature Conservancy revealed he was kept in a cage for the first year of his life and stopped eating. He had been scheduled for euthanasia before he was given a new lease on life, putting his natural skills to use for Conservation Canines. 

With the help of Sampson and Frehley, the research team is hoping to better understand the slippery Jemez Mountains salamander and secure it more protection and support from local and federal governments. 

"We see this as a fantastic example of nature helping nature," Bradley said.

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