Buzz
Let’s be honest: as humans, we've left our mark on the planet in some pretty destructive ways. From melting the ice caps with our chemical sprays to turning lush rainforests into wastelands, and even transforming atoms—once the building blocks of everything—into deadly weapons.
Despite everything, nature continues to show us its resilience and love. One of the most remarkable ways it does so is through the extraordinary capabilities of dogs, especially their incredible sense of smell.
10. Bacteria
In case you haven't heard—the bees are in trouble. But dogs are stepping in to help: since the 1970s, beekeepers have trained dogs to locate sick beehives before they can spread disease to other colonies.
These incredible dogs can track the scent of bacteria responsible for “American Foulbrood,” a deadly disease. This ability allows beekeepers to inspect up to 100 hives in just 45 minutes, compared to the two full days it would take a human.
9. DVDs
Dogs can be trained to identify polycarbonate, a key material in all DVDs. This skill helps crack down on the rampant DVD counterfeiting trade, particularly in regions like Southeast Asia. In fact, during their first mission, two dogs uncovered pirated DVDs worth over $3 million.
The success of that single operation infuriated the Malaysian DVD counterfeiters so much that they placed a $30,000 bounty on the dogs' lives.
8. Drowned Bodies
In the United States, water search dogs are regularly employed by law enforcement to find and recover drowned bodies. But how do these dogs manage to detect a body underwater? The scent from a drowned body mixes with the water currents and eventually rises into the air. These dogs, whether working from land, a boat, or even swimming, follow the scent trail to its origin—the body.
7. Ambushes and Vietcong Equipment
During the Vietnam War, the US military deployed scout dogs to help detect enemy soldiers. While it may seem ordinary, considering dogs can smell humans, these dogs went further—they could also detect tunnels, weapons, and even booby traps, saving countless American lives in the process.
To avoid giving away their location, these dogs were trained to communicate danger in subtle ways. Some would raise the fur on their necks, others would fold their ears, and at least one dog was taught to walk on its hind legs when it sensed something threatening.
6. Diabetes
We've recently discovered that some dogs can predict when a seizure is about to occur. In addition, these dogs can be trained to alert diabetic owners when their blood sugar becomes dangerously high. A few exceptional dogs can even fetch an insulin kit during a diabetic episode. If only they had thumbs, they might prepare the syringe for us as well.
5. Whale Poop
Scientists frequently analyze whale feces to assess the health of whales, as it provides vital information about their diet. However, the challenge is that the poop sinks within 30 minutes of being released, meaning researchers must act fast to retrieve it.
To address this, a team has trained dogs to detect the scent of whale feces. These dogs can track the odor from over a mile (1.6 km) away and lead scientists to the location. Once the dog detects the whale waste, it signals the boat captain by leaning left or right, or by twitching one of its ears.
4. Bed Bugs
The widespread growth of air travel in the modern era has led to a near-crisis in bed bug infestations. In response, pest control companies now offer a service where dogs can inspect a house for bed bugs before you commit to buying a property. These specially trained dogs are said to have an impressive accuracy rate of 96 percent.
3. Cancer
Cancer has a distinct odor—both literally and figuratively. Cancer cells produce waste that gives off a unique smell, detectable by the highly sensitive noses of dogs. In patients with lung or breast cancer, these waste products are exhaled with each breath, leading to a group of dogs trained to sniff people's breath and alert them if they detect the scent of cancer.
2. Ovulation in Cows
Cows are typically impregnated through artificial insemination, as bull semen is quite expensive. To ensure the cows are ready for insemination, farmers need to time the process perfectly. To avoid costly mistakes, some farmers have trained dogs to detect when a cow is in heat—so precise that the dogs often know before the bulls do.
1. Minerals and Ores
The Finnish government funded a program to train dogs to locate valuable sulphide-rich rocks. When these rocks break down, they emit a pungent odor similar to that of rotten eggs, which dogs can track effortlessly. In one notable search, a dog led the way to a deposit of immense economic value.
