Officials announce unconventional new program using highly trained dogs: 'Biological bulldozer'

Dogs have continuously proved their loyalty to humans and amazing ability to be dependable worker animals. That's why the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has a grant for experienced dog handlers to work with canines on the hunt for invasive species.

Western Australia has a problem with Phytophthora dieback, a disease currently wiping out local flora at an alarming rate.

While some native species of the genus Phytophthora exist, the non-native variation, Phytophthora cinnamomi, is the destructive culprit that two conservation detector dogs, Alice and Echo, are trained to sniff out. It's so bad, Western Australia's Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority dubbed it "the biological bulldozer."

There's no cure after infection. However, there's prevention — starting with the sharp noses of the cute dieback detector dogs on the job since they were pups. While they have experience under their belts — or collars — it's time for a promotion.

Through the grant program, the dogs' skills will expand to work in different environments under the guidance of selected handlers/grantees. Since Echo and Alice have already done a howling good job being as effective as a human dieback interpreter, their success has paved the way for more funding to bring two more detector dogs to the team.

Using canine skills has been a novel way to sniff out the problem and take local action to prevent Western Australia's vegetation from further harm. As Kylie Ireland, Plant Diseases Program Leader, said in a Parks and Wildlife Service video, "You can't see it because it's a plant disease," making a canine's keen sense of smell all the more vital.

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As much as 40% of the local plant life is at risk of this disease, which Western Australia has been dealing with since the '70s and '80s.

"It's hard to keep people engaged," Ireland admitted in the video. "The dogs really help to start that engagement again."

Protecting local vegetation is essential for biodiversity, producing oxygen, cleaning the air by absorbing carbon, and providing homes and foraging space for pollinators — essential to the world's food chain. Thanks to a sense of smell up to 100,000 times more powerful than humans, per PetMD, these cute pups have a vital job helping to make the planet cleaner and safer.

The commenters on the Parks and Wildlife Service's Facebook post are supportive of this initiative. One respondent admitted it would be the "perfect job if I was 30 years younger."