I posted a ditty about this gal the other day, but here is a bit more information. Meet Terra. Terra is a petroleum sniffing dog, quite possibly the only such dog in the country. Terra belongs to Don Francis, of Eco-Tech. Eco-Tech is a multi-faceted company providing a variety of environmental services including radon testing and mitigation, buried oil tank search and decommissioning services I have known Don for several years as his company has provided services for clients and he occasionally conducts continuing education classes for at our office.
Don started the search for a petroleum sniffing dog several years ago. In addition to being able to be trained to sniff out fuel, he wanted a good family dog to fit in with their family; including their twin human children. Not all working dogs make good family dogs as some are so focused and serious about their work, they don't have much patience for fun and snuggles. After quite a search, along came Terra. She was trained by Puget Sound Detection dogs, and started work with Eco-Tech last summer.
As with many search tools, Terra is not fool proof. She brings though, an additional set of skills and information to the oil (and oil tank) search process. Terra doesn't find tanks, she finds oil, even traces of it. In residential circumstances, she might find an existing buried oil tank (with oil), or locate where a tank had been, and oil still exists. Terra has been known to find contaminated soil from a tank that had been buried under a drive way; one of the more challenging residential situations.
Terra came out to help with a tank search at a four plex a client of mine is in the process of purchasing. She is a very businesslike gal, eager to get about her work. While I was glad she didn't find a tank, or oil traces, I had hoped to see her locate something just for my curiosity. I am told she signals a find by sitting, a definitive sit. I imagine it is a sit much like Mollie's when she is telling me she doesn't want to go outside in the rain. Kerplop.
Not only has Terra found tanks, she has found oil where no tanks are, and most interesting of all she found fuel in soil that had been thought to have been cleaned up. Through Terra's detection, the soil was sent for further lab (laboratory, not Labrador) testing and the fuel was confirmed!
So keep you eyes out for Terra as you may see her around town.
In researching this, I came across a completely unrelated, but cool website for Pit Bulls used in law enforcement. Check it out: Pit Bull Detection Dogs
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