A Welsh springer spaniel has saved Matiu / Somes Island from potential disaster after sniffing out an Argentine ant nest on building materials destined for the island's new wharf.

I didn’t actually know they were building a new wharf on Somes, it’s great that the island is getting more infrastructure. And great they caught the ants, obviously.

  • Dave@lemmy.nzM
    81·
    9 months ago

    This is really cool that we do this, and even cooler that the dogs can be trained to do this!

      • Dave@lemmy.nzM
        2·
        9 months ago

        Haha yes, but spaniels have a reputation. My vet friend used to say he would rather see a pit bull than a spaniel!

        • liv@lemmy.nz
          2·
          9 months ago

          Makes sense, pittys tend to be earnest dogs who are only dangerous when they get the wrong end of the stick. Spaniels tend to have decided that since they have teeth they won’t take shit from kids and vets.

          • Dave@lemmy.nzM
            2·
            9 months ago

            Yeah from what I understand, pit bulls are dangerous because of their power and their “gameness”, I think is the term. Not because of their temperament, which I think there are no shortage of families with pit bulls who would say their dogs are gentle and forgiving with their kids.

            I don’t know anyone willing to defend spaniels as family dogs 😆

      • qupada42@lemmy.nz
        2·
        9 months ago

        About 20 years ago there was an infestation of them in the Bay of Plenty, Tauranga city council was coming around deploying ant bait around people’s houses for free.

        Pale green stuff dispensed from a caulking gun, seemed to do a good job.

        • Dave@lemmy.nzM
          2·
          9 months ago

          Based on my link above, I can imagine the council wanting a coordinated approach. It mentions all the colonies work together, and if you put down bait but fail to kill them all, it separates the colonies and then it’s a lot harder to get them all.

  • Nath@aussie.zone
    2·
    9 months ago

    Why do we need to import sniffer dogs from Argentina? Are the local ant sniffer doggos not good enough?