CCSS

W.2

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Reading Level

Ewww, What’s That Smell?

How scientists have turned unwanted shelter dogs into poop-hunting heroes

February 2020
By Tod Olson

Jaymi Heimbuch/Minden Pictures

Why are they called Conservation Canines? Conservation means the protection of living things. Canines is another word for dog

    If you’re a dog, the University of Washington has your dream job. You run in the woods all day. You get to play fetch when you do your job well. And, best of all, you sniff for poop wherever you go.

    That’s what life is like for 17 lucky dogs on the university’s Conservation Canines team. The team helps scientists study animals that are in danger of dying off. The dogs do their job by searching for poop—or scat, as scientists call it.

    What do dogs love to do? Run in the woods. Play fetch. And sniff for poop.

    That’s what the Conservation Canines do. But these dogs are working. They’re a team at the University of Washington. They help scientists study animals that are in danger of dying off.

    How do the dogs help? They search for poop—or scat, as scientists call it.

    If you’re a dog, the University of Washington has your dream job. You run in the woods all day. You get to play fetch when you do your job well. And, best of all, you sniff for poop wherever you go.

    That’s what life is like for 17 lucky dogs on the university’s Conservation Canines team. The team helps scientists study endangered animals. The dogs do their job by searching for poop—or scat, as scientists call it.

Treasure Hunt

    The Conservation Canines have hunted for scat all over the world. They’ve sniffed out tiger turds in Asia and dug up lion poop in Africa. They’ve even found killer-whale waste in ocean waters.

    The scientists collect the scat and study it. They learn what the animals are eating and how healthy they are. They can guess how many animals are out there and where those animals are living. This information can help scientists keep endangered animals alive.

    The Conservation Canines have found poop all over the world. They’ve found tiger poop in Asia. They’ve found lion poop in Africa. They’ve even found killer whale poop in the ocean.

    The scientists study the scat. They learn what the animals are eating and how healthy they are. They can guess how many animals are out there and where they’re living. What they learn can help them keep endangered animals alive.

    The Conservation Canines have hunted for scat all over the world. They’ve sniffed out tiger turds in Asia, dug up lion poop in Africa, and even found killer-whale waste in ocean waters.

    The scientists collect the scat and study it to learn what the animals are eating and how healthy they are. They can guess how many animals are out there and where those animals are living. This information can help scientists keep endangered animals alive.

A Nose for the Job

Jaymi Heimbuch/Minden Pictures

Studying scat 
A scientist checks a poop sample that was found by one of the Conservation Canines.

    The poop-hunting work helps save the dogs as well. Most of them come from animal shelters. The scientists look for dogs with so much energy that no one wants them for a pet. For many of the pups, it’s their last chance to find a home.

    Once they make the team, the job comes naturally. A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times more powerful than a human’s. Eventually, the dogs learn to tell bear poop from bobcat poop, cougar poop from coyote poop. Well-trained dogs can even find caterpillar droppings the size of poppy seeds.

    The Conservation Canines work hard. But they get to live an active life. Most of them keep their jobs until they’re 8 or 9 years old. By that time, they’ve calmed down. Often they get adopted by their handlers. 

    Then they can grow old in peace, sniffing for poop in their own backyards. 

    The work is good for the dogs too. Most of them come from animal shelters. The scientists choose dogs with too much energy to be good pets. For many of the pups, it’s their last chance to find a home.

    Once they make the team, the job comes naturally. A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times more powerful than a human’s. The dogs learn to tell bear poop from bobcat poop. They learn to tell cougar poop from coyote poop. Well-trained dogs can even find caterpillar droppings the size of poppy seeds.

    The Conservation Canines work hard. But they get to live an active life. Most of them keep working until they’re 8 or 9 years old. By that time, they’ve calmed down. Their handlers often adopt them.

    Then they can grow old in peace, sniffing for poop in their own backyards.

    The poop-hunting work benefits the dogs as well. Most of them come from animal shelters. The scientists look for dogs that are too energetic to be desirable pets. For many of the pups, it’s their last chance to find a home.

    Once they make the team, the job comes naturally. A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times more powerful than a human’s. Eventually, the dogs learn to distinguish bear poop from bobcat poop, cougar poop from coyote poop. Well-trained dogs can even find caterpillar droppings the size of poppy seeds.

    The Conservation Canines work hard, but they also get to live an active life. Most of them continue working until they’re 8 or 9 years old. By that time, they’ve calmed down. Often they get adopted by their handlers.

    Then they can grow old in peace, sniffing for poop in their own backyards.

Core Skills
Writing and Editing
Format
Weird But True
Topic
Science, Animals
Genre
Nonfiction
Content Type
Article
Skills Sheets (3)
Skills Sheets (3)
Skills Sheets (3)
Leveled Articles (2)
Leveled Articles (2)
Text-to-Speech