Researchers stunned by dog's unusual ability unable to be replicated by modern tech: 'People didn't think ... dogs would be capable'

Besides being a snappy dresser, six-year-old springer spaniel Poppy has a unique skill that has experts flabbergasted.

Poppy can sniff out an underwater oil spill below ice, producing consistently promising results.

The study marked the first time a dog has been demonstrably successful at sniffing out oil under ice, although previous studies have shown success with oil trapped under snow and ice chips.

"A lot of people didn't think it would be something that dogs would be capable of," environmental consultant Ed Owens told the Canadian Press, as Global News shared.

A facility in northern Ontario, Canada, has allowed for experiments over artificial lakes where Poppy could sniff out oil.

As a part of one experiment, nine small holes were drilled into 14-inch-thick ice. Oil was pumped into three of them, and then they were left to freeze over. Poppy was able to find every contaminated hole without any mistakes.

This level of accuracy vastly outperforms the technological alternatives. Researcher Vince Palace said the results were "extremely astounding."

Poppy works with Chiron K9, a company that has been using dogs to sniff out oil spills elsewhere for years.

"There's nothing better as a dog trainer than when your dog finds something, but it's even better when it's the first time in the world any dog has ever done that," said Chiron K9 owner Paul Bunker after seeing Poppy's experiment results.

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The research suggests that dogs could be used to detect oil spills quickly, helping authorities deal with the problem before it gets out of hand. However, this, of course, comes with ethical concerns for animal safety, especially in harsh, icy conditions.

The ability of dogs to outperform mechanical alternatives can be just as applicable in milder climates. Palace noted that spills from Enbridge Line 5 — an oil line that crosses the Great Lakes — could be sniffed out, for example.

Oil spills cause massive environmental damage. A lot of time and energy is wasted in recovery efforts trying to find the source of spills. If a dog can find those sources quicker than any available technology, that's precious time saved before the oil can spread, contaminate the environment, and hurt local wildlife.

Bunker maintains a great relationship with Poppy, besides the professional interactions.

"Poppy lives with me in the house, she sleeps on the bed," he said. "They are pretty much like your family dog, except we spend a lot more time together, doing a lot of things, learning together … and enjoying actually working together."

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