Conservation Canines (CK9) is a non-profit organization that trains

detection dogs A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, semen, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most use ...

and their handlers for the purposes of wildlife research. It is part of the Center for Conservation Biology at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. Since 1997, led by Dr. Samuel Wasser, Conservation Canines has worked internationally with species including the

Pacific Pocket Mouse The Pacific pocket mouse, ''Perognathus longimembris pacificus'', is endemic to California. It lives in sandy coastal soils of the coastal sage scrub ecoregion. It eats seeds and some insects. It was believed to be extinct until 1993, when a smal ...

, the

Jemez Mountains salamander The Jemez Mountains salamander (''Plethodon neomexicanus'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to New Mexico in the United States. Its natural habitat is temperate forest. It is threatened by habitat loss, is experi ...

Killer whales The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolita ...

, and

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

. The training facility is located in Eatonville, WA. Current and former client partners include

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

, as well as various universities and state and local agencies. CK9 helped Western Ecological Research Center researchers survey conserved grasslands in San Diego County and found that indeed badgers are active. Conservation Canines sources their dogs from shelters and rescue organizations. Dogs are trained using a ball or toy reward system.

References

{{US-org-stub Detection dogs