Conservation Canines

 

Simon and Zyla searching for ribbonsnakes

Conservation canines (a.k.a. sniffer dogs) are helping us find ribbonsnakes. These specially trained canines survey the habitats with their human partners and find ribbonsnakes by smell. They are helpful in finding these cryptic snakes which are often hidden from view under vegetation or in stumps.

All of the dogs are family pets who receive special training from Dr. Simon Gadbois at the Canid Behaviour Lab at Dalhousie University. Once they learn to recognize ribbonsnake scent, they graduate from the lab and receive further training in the field.