In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks with Kyoko Johnson from Conservation Dog Hawaii and Jennifer Hartman from Rogue Detection Teams about things to know before hiring a conservation detection dog team. What are some things scientists should consider before hiring a conservation detection dog team? Lower density finds …
Fringe Alerts with Stacy Barnett
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Stacy Barnett about fringe alerts in detection dogs. Episode suggestion: Get up and go for a little walk! What is fringing? When a dog alerts to odor outside of the preferred range of where the indication should be, aka too far …
Quick Questions About National Geographic’s Called to the Wild
Where Was Called to the Wild Filmed? Filming took place in the northwoods of Maine. How Were Contestants Selected? Contestants had to compile video applications to send to casting producers. They were then vetted on survival skills, psychological health, and had to pass a background check. Dogs and humans had …
Bats and Wind Farms with Dr. Merlin Tuttle
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Dr. Merlin Tuttle about bats and wind farms. Episode suggestion: Come to conversations ready to learn and ready to be curious. Merlin started his bat career as a teenager, has done field research on every continent where bats live, photographed hundreds …
Barley and Kayla Were Called to the Wild
My breath clouded around my face in the cold air as I paused outside the Missoula airport. I paused to put my mask on and readjusted my backpack before leading Barley into the airport. Barley was happy and confident, unaware of what we were in for. Pre-pandemic, we traveled all …
Books to Read for Conservation Detection Dog Handlers
Getting into the field of conservation detection dog work can be incredibly difficult. There simply aren’t many jobs, and the jobs that do exist are highly competitive. We have discussed ways to enter the conservation detection dog field in podcast episodes including “Making It as a Conservation Dog Handler” and …
Amphibians and Charismatic MiniFauna with Dr. Erim Gomez
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Dr. Erim Gomez. They nerd out about amphibians, diversity, and academia. Episode suggestion: Try something new, even if it’s small! Call to action: Update your Amazon Smile to benefit K9 Conservationist! How could dogs help with amphibian research? Humans can’t see …
“Making It” as a Conservation Detection Dog Handler
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks about her experience and advice on how to “make it” as a K9 Conservationists handler. Let’s be honest: the past year or so of this career has NOT been easy. In this episode, Kayla goes into some of the realities of tough …
Give Bats a Break with Nate Marshall
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Charles speak with Nathaniel. They talk about bats, wind farms, and why you should care about the conservation of bats! Episode suggestion: Win friends, not battles. Call to action: Build a bat box. What should we like about bats? How many different …
Introducing Conservation Correspondent Dr. Charles van Rees
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla introduces Dr. Charles van Rees. Charles has been on the show before, but will now make a more regular appearance as K9 Conservationists new Conservation Correspondent. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Charles’ episode on Rewildology for more on his backstory and work Great …