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FEBRUARY 19, 2014 | 63

Pepin for 10 days this summer at local with a reward.

check stations where boats are inspect- “It’s his greatest joy,” Parker said of
ed. It will be a trial run for a possible Pepin. “These dogs love to work.”
permanent program in the future that WDC currently has seven dogs of
would establish a regular team of detec- diferent breeds trained in an array of
tion dogs sniing out miniscule aquatic smells.
invasive species like zebra and quagga The Flathead Basin Commission
mussels that cling to boats. Two other hopes that Pepin and others could help
states, California and Minnesota, have stop a looming disaster. Invasive mol-

created similar AIS detection dog pro- lusks have colonized lakes across the
grams.
U.S. with devastating efects. They have
“I think this is an excellent idea and caused millions of dollars in cleanup and
it’s certainly worth experimenting with repair costs in the Northeast, Midwest,
and seeing how efective it is,” said Chas and Southwest regions of the United
Cartwright, the commission’s chair and States, but have yet to ind their way into
former superintendent of Glacier Na- the Northwest. In 2007, Lake Mead be-

tional Park. “It’s pretty clear to me that came the irst documented infestation
they are better at detecting than people. west of the Rockies. Mussels are quick to
So why not augment people with dogs?”
reproduce and can clog intake pipes and
As Cartwright and others discov- damage piers and, perhaps most signii-
ered, detection dogs like Pepin have an cantly, disrupt whole ecosystems.
uncanny attention to details. WDC has Last year the Montana Legislature
trained its dogs to learn as many as 19 beefed up the state’s AIS law and boost-
diferent scents, from wildlife scat to ed funding for resources like check sta-

ish species that leave traces that can tions at key entry sites for boaters. There
be picked up by the slightest of odors, are 20 check stations across the state,
even on water. Pepin recently returned including nine in the Flathead Valley,
from Zambia where he helped locate Working Dogs for Conservation’s Belgian Malinois, Pepin, tugs a toy from his handler, Megan Parker.
that are stafed by nearly 70 inspectors
wire snares hidden in the safari, an un- during the peak summer season.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
precedented solution for managers. He’s The hope is that detection dogs could
also traced wolverines, grizzly bears and provide a valuable resource for snif- sense diseases like brucellosis in bison. from animal shelters across the state.

wolves by their droppings, helping scien- ing out AIS while raising education and “Humans are crippled by their eyes,” An estimated one in roughly 1,000 dogs
tists study the genetic makeup, popula- awareness of the issue by being a notice- Parker said. “(The detection dogs) use is cut out for detection duties. They must
tion densities and range of hard-to-ind able igure in the ight.
their nose to do things we couldn’t pos-
undergo a rigorous training regimen us-
species. The same goes for plants or “It’s an amazing opportunity and I sibly do.”
ing methods developed from narcotic,
tiny insects, such as an invasive slug in would love for this to be a model for the Instead of seeking out top-notch
forensic and search and rescue tech-
Hawaii that Pepin has unearthed. De- state,” said Coppolillo.
breeders, the WDC team of wildlife ex- niques. Speciically, WDC trainers teach
tection dogs have even been trained to
[email protected]
perts and trainers tries to ind canines
the dogs to associate the odor of a target

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