Working Dogs For Conservation Foundation

SINCE ITS INCEPTION, WD4C HAS COLLABORATED WITH MANAGERS, RESEARCHERS, AND CONSERVATIONISTS TO DETECT NEARLY 40 SPECIES IN 18 STATES AND 16 COUNTRIES. MANY OF THESE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN GROUND-BREAKING WITHIN THE REALM OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY. WD4C PARTICIPATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE PROPELLED THE DISCIPLINE OF DETECTION DOGS FORWARD: FROM FINDING DIFFICULT AND NOVEL TARGETS LIKE A SUITE OF WIDE-RANGING CARNIVORES, ILLEGAL WIRE SNARES, INVASIVE PLANTS AND INSECTS, SUBTERRANEAN ANIMALS, AND EVIDENCE OF INVASIVE FISH IN FRESHWATER STREAMS, TO WD4C'S GROUND-BREAKING WORK USING DOGS TO DETECT ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN FRESHWATER ECOSTYSTEMS.WD4C ALSO SAVES DOGS. WE RECOGNIZE THAT MANY OF THE TRAITS THAT PREVENT DOGS BEING SUITABLE PETS SUCH AS HIGH ENERGY AND TOY OBSESSION, CAN SIGNAL SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL TO BE A HIGHLY SKILLED DETECTION DOG. RECENT WD4C ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:-- In 2014 WD4C and Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) created the First Conservation Canine Unit in Zambia. This year we established the third generation of dogs for Delta Team, CSLs elite Canine Unit. We are excited to track their impacts at their duty stations in Zambia. Additionally, WD4C brought three specialist veterinarians to Zambia to help continue raising the bar in K9 safety, fitness, and health. Handlers were also provided training in tactical emergency field care for their K9 partners. This was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate internationally and to better understand working dog health and welfare in Zambia and Africa in general. As always, the information gained during this project is shared with all anti-poaching K9 units in Africa.-- Two key factors make it possible for bears and people to coexist: conflict mitigation and connectivity. Our dogs help bears and people on both fronts. From the urban parks of Missoula to remote campsites, the dogs find bear scats for dietary analysis to identify where attractants are driving human/wildlife conflict, and where human barriers prevent bears from dispersing to suitable habitats, all to keep bears and people safe.-- For the 3rd season, we partnered with Teton County Weed and Pest to help locate and remove invasive Salt Cedar and Perennial Pepperweed along the Snake River. Canine Field Specialists and their canine partners helped keep these aggressive invaders out of approximately 820 acres of island habitat in 3 stretches along the Snake River adjacent to Grand Teton National Park.--Weve also added new capacity to the organization. Most people think of dogs superpowers in terms of detection, but we know they can do so much more. Throughout 2022, weve continued to focus on their ability to DISCRIMINATE (to tell the difference between two very similar scents like a diseased animal vs. an uninfected one) and tracking (to follow an individual through a complex landscape). -- WD4C has been working closely with our partner organization, Indigenous Vision, to evaluate wildlife's exposure to heavy metals, endocrine disruptors (from plastic waste and flame retardants), discarded pharmaceuticals, SARS-COV-2, and chronic wasting disease on the Blackfeet Nation Reservation. With this information in hand, the Tribal Government can make the Blackfeet Nation safer for its wildlife and the people who depend on wildlife and wild places for food and traditional uses.LOOKING INTO NEXT YEAR, WEVE GOT EXCITING THINGS ON THE HORIZON, FROM DEEPENING OUR ROOTS IN MISSOULA, MT WITH VOLUNTEER DAYS, NEW CULTURAL CONNECTIONS, AND LOCALLY IMPORTANT WORK ON GRIZZLY BEARS, WOLVES AND BIGHORN SHEEP; TO BEING PART OF MONTANAS FIGHT AGAINST DISEASES SUCH COVID-19 AND CWD. WE ARE PROUD TO BE A FORCE FOR GOOD AND TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE, WILDLIFE, AND WILD PLACES THAT CONTINUALLY HAVE GIVEN US HOPE AND INSPIRATION.