One of four COVID-sniffing dogs used in FIU facilities. Courtesy, Florida International University
Man’s Best Friend has always stood by our side through thick and thin, and now in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re providing us with a new line of defense. Florida International University (FIU), has employed a four-dog squadron trained by their own Forensic Research Institute to detect and track the scent of COVID-19.
Institute Director DeEtta Mills noted that in a release that, “…this is one way that we can ask our four-legged friends to help us because their keen sense of smell is so much more accurate…and they can smell out this virus.”
The Miami Heat basketball team, playing their games in the AmericanAirlines Arena, led the way in utilizing this softer and gentler COVID detection technique when it began to allow a limited number of fans to attend games if everyone admitted would agree to be sniffed down by its own specially trained dogs. The method is simple: if the dog detects the disease, it will sit down and anyone in the same party of the detected individual will not be allowed in.
In the case of FIU’s dogs, they have been trained to identify the virus on surfaces and in classrooms, before students and faculty enter the premises. This process is similar to how dogs search for bombs. If the dog alerts, generally by sitting, then the contaminated area will undergo further sanitation.
Of course, we can’t ever be thankful enough for the bond we humans share with dogs. These training efforts spurred on by our collective need to improvise, adapt and overcome in the face of disaster serve as shining examples of human ingenuity. So let’s wish our furry quadrupeds the best in their new coronavirus mission and hope their service will help us move forward into a healthier, safer future.
See you on the trail,
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 2-8-21
