At an airport, a dog can pick out the smell of fruit tucked inside a suitcase. In the bush, a conservation dog can find koala droppings among the leaf litter, helping researchers work out where the animals live. And in a Blue Mountains home, a cocker spaniel named Luna can catch the scent of termites behind a wall that looks perfectly sound.
Dogs are trained to search luggage, mail and cargo for everything from meat and seeds to insects. The job depends on two skills. The dog has to pick out a particular scent among all the others, and the handler has to recognise the signal when the dog finds it.
Luna’s signal is simple. She sits.
The six-year-old working cocker spaniel works with handler Don Smith and pest control technicians from Blaxland. According to Flick Anticimex, she has inspected several properties in the Hawkesbury. When Luna sits during a search, the technicians know where to take a closer look. Luna knows what comes next. A tennis ball.
Termites are a particular curse for homeowners because they can be hard to spot. They can be active inside a wall cavity, behind a cupboard or beneath a staircase while the room around them looks much as it always has. Luna gives the technicians somewhere to start looking for evidence.
In one case, Flick told the Gazette, it took about a month for other detection tools to confirm what Luna had picked up. For the people doing the inspection, that quiet sit gave them a spot to keep investigating.
Luna’s breeder started her training, and she completed her initial training by the age of one. She still practises regularly. Off duty, she likes running, swimming and playing fetch.
For the homeowner, a dog sitting beside a wall can be the first clue that something is going on behind it. For Luna, it means she’s earned another throw of the ball.
