California four-legged agriculture inspector sniffs out pests by day, but he can’t go home at night

It takes only a small number of insects from out of the area to cause major damage to California’s multi-billion dollar agriculture industry.

So packages containing plant material sent into the state must be labeled and inspected. But many never get labeled or the labels are hidden or fall off.

Enter Dozer.

Dozer is an 87-pound Labrador mix working as an agriculture inspector, trained to sniff out unmarked plant matter so that it can be inspected by his human partner.

Dozer is one of 13 highly trained former shelter and rescue dogs working to protect agriculture in California. They are specifically trained to sniff out odors of citrus, stone fruits, guava and apples and to scatch on the packages when they find them.

Not every dog can be trained as an agriculture inspector.

Labradors are ideal because they are high energy (unless they are overfed) and respond well to positive reinforcement when they accomplish a task. They must also be confident, focused and not afraid of loud noises in the facilities where they work.

Dozer races through the shipping warehouse trying to sniff out plant material in the packages so that he can get a reward.

At the end of the day most working dogs go home with their handlers. Dozer goes to a pet hotel. Can you guess why?

I’ll give you some time to think about it.

 

….tick tick tick…

 

Give up?

Because he would spend the evening clawing at the refrigerator and attacking house plants, according to his handler, Jennifer Berger.

"That's his job, and he does it very well," she said. "But it wouldn't work out at home."

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Comments

[Sherry in MT]

Wow never thought of that - drug dogs wouldn't have that problem would they (we hope)? He and his handler look like they are having the time of their life though!

[Kristine]

Hahaha! That's funny. I'd never have thought about that aspect either. I've often joked that I should rent my dog out as a peanut-sniffing dog as she is able to find said nuts in the most unlikely of places, including our car when we don't even purchase unshelled nuts. But maybe this would be a problem. She scratches enough at the peanut butter cupboard as it is!

[jackie]

wow..that's sorta sad...

[Hudson & MJ]

Thats so cool that they used a shelter dog to train for this special job and I'm sure he gets tons of love during the day !!!

[Jodi]

I love that they saved a shelter dog, but I feel a bit sad that he can't experience a home life.

[Linda]

Gee that's sort of sad that he can't go to a real home!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

[southern quebec]

I am doing a "sniffer" course with my chocolate and she has the same "focus" that this dog has. We are using liver as our bait. I guess the message here is "no cooking liver at home now". Awwwww.... :)