Combining a Love of Dogs with Conservation with Co-Founder Heather Nootbaar

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla interviews co-founder Heather. They discuss how Heather got into the world of conservation detection dogs, her experience before K9 Conservationists, and how she and Kayla joined forces.  Science Highlight: Using Scent Detection Dogs in Conservation Settings: A Review of Scientific Literature Regarding Their Selection …

Action for Cheetahs with Mary Wykstra

In this bonus episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Mary Wykstra from Carnivores, Livelihoods and Landscapes, about the work they are doing with Actions for Cheetahs in Kenya.  Transcription (AI-Generated) Kayla Fratt (KF) 0:01Do you have your own passion projects that you’d like to turn into a podcast? Let …

Things to Consider When Starting a Conservation Detection Dog Program

If you’ve used conservation detection dogs in the past or are considering them for future projects, you may wonder whether it’s better to just get a dog yourself versus hiring an expensive outsourced team. There are a lot of factors to consider when starting a conservation detection dog program from …

Why Do Conservation Detection Dogs Make False Alerts?

In January 2022, the K9 Conservationists Team was hired to come to Kenya to help with a struggling conservation detection dog program. Action for Cheetahs in Kenya has two experienced detection dogs paired with two very green handlers. Our job was to help mentor the handlers and create new best …

Conservation Canines: How Dogs work for the Environment

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Isabelle Groc about her book Conservation Canines: How Dogs Work for the Environment. Science Highlight: Performance of detection dogs and visual searches for scat detection and discrimination amongst related species with identical diets Links Mentioned in the Episode: Isabelle Groc Book …

Midseason Musings: 2021 Summer Update

We are halfway through our season of finding dead bats on wind farms. This work will help biologists understand trends in how the turbines affect bats, particularly during migration. I am handling Niffler for his first season as a K9 Conservationist, while Rachel Hamre handles Barley at another field site. …

What Is a Conservation Detection Dog?

Conservation detection dogs are dogs that are specially trained to sniff out odors related to conservation. They work similarly to bomb, drug, or search and rescue dogs—but instead of searching for accelerants, drugs, or missing people, they search for things related to conservation biology. Generally, conservation detection dogs sniff for …

Could My Dog be a K9 Conservationist?

If you’ve recently learned what conservation detection dogs are, you may be wondering if your beloved Fluffy has what it takes to help protect the planet. Can Any Dog Be Trained to do Conservation Detection Work? Not just any dog can cut it as a conservation detection dog. Conservation detection …