LOOKING OUT FOR NO. 2
Canine duo trained to sniff out hazardous fecal bacteria can detect leaking pipes, help prevent beach closures
FAIR HAVEN, N.J. Some specially trained dogs are helping humans curb themselves.
A company that has trained dogs to recognize the smell of human fecal bacteria has been sniffing out sources of water pollution in the U.S., discovering broken sewer pipes, leaking septic tanks and illegal sewage discharges, to the delight of environmental groups and government agencies.
Conventional water sampling tests take 24 hours at a laboratory, and often must be duplicated to ensure their accuracy. Testing of sewer systems with dye or smoke takes days and is costly. But the dogs give an instant yes or no.
Often rescued from animal shelters, then trained to detect human waste much like dogs are trained to sniff out drugs or explosives, the dogs of Maine-based Environmental Canine Services are always looking out for No. 2.
“I could make a lot of jokes about what kind of job this is, but I won’t,” said Scott Reynolds, who runs the company with his wife, Karen. “They alert us to the presence of human-specific bacteria, E. coli, poop, whatever you want to call it.”
Human fecal contamination is a serious environmental problem that can cause illnesses, including intestinal problems, hepatitis, respiratory infections, and ear, nose, and throat problems. Contamination from the E. coli bacterium, naturally occurring in human intestines, becomes dangerous if it is present in the environment in high enough concentrations. It is the leading cause of beach and waterway closures in the U.S., and tracking down the source of such pollution is a priority for local and state governments.
One recent day, two of the company’s dogs sniffed the edges of a pond near the New Jersey shore in Fair Haven, where polluted runoff was helping to choke the pond with thick, green scum-like algae. Environmental groups, including Clean Ocean Action, along with the local government, hired the company to determine whether sewage was making its way into the pond.
Sable, a 10-year-old German shepherd-husky mix rescued from a shelter, and Remi, a three-yearold black Lab mix found as a stray, were put to work. They sniffed the shoreline and found nothing amiss.
“Just as important as what you find is what you don’t find,” Karen Reynolds said.
The couple then took the dogs to a manhole opened by town workers to demonstrate what the dogs do when they smell human waste. Sable is trained to bark, Remi to sit still, and that’s what they did as soon as they sniffed the manhole.
Their rewards: a treat for Remi and some play time with a tennis ball for Sable.
The dogs are trained to ignore fecal bacteria from animals, and customers often try to trick them (unsuccessfully) during evaluations of the company. Waterway contamination from bird, wild animal and pet waste is also a significant source of water pollution.
Rick Haley, a water-quality analyst with Skagit County, Wash., had the dogs sniff samples of animal waste. They ignored them, until finding one with human bacteria.
Once the dogs went to work, they helped find 15 to 20 leaking septic tanks that were polluting waterways, including one in a state park that routinely was closed to swimming due to high bacteria levels.
Peg Kohring, a director of The Conservation Fund in Sawyer, Mich., has hired the dogs three times in five years to track pollution flowing into Lake Michigan.
“We had quite a few beach closings because of high E. coli, and we did extensive water testing, but you don’t know exactly where the problem is,” she said. “With the dogs, we’re able to go right to the source. They found a homeowner whose house was only half connected to the septic system; the other half was washing directly into a creek. We found 30 homeowners who had no idea where their sewage was going.”
They found a ... house was only half connected to the septic system; the other half was washing directly into a creek.