Scientist trains dogs to locate nearly extinct species in its natural habitat: ‘The dogs can successfully find these plants’

Circe and Muon are two sweet pups who love to run and play like other dogs. These unbelievable canines’ not-so-average skills lie in their ability to play a vital role in ecological research.

The dogs are part of a team at K9inSCENTive, a company that trains dogs in ecological scent detection. They sniff out everything from animals to plants as part of scientific studies.

Circe and Muon were recognized in March by Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden for their abilities in finding rare and endangered orchids in Southern Arizona.

The Canelo Hills ladies tresses orchid has historically been found in five places in the state. However, with the species’ decline since 2016, they can only be found in two of the five locations.

As it can be nearly impossible for researchers to locate the small plant in vast areas, Circe and Muon’s incredible sense of smell is a saving grace in the plant’s survival.

The research on these orchids is being conducted by the Desert Botanical Garden, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Smithsonian Institution. Lauralea Oliver, the owner of K9inSCENTive, spent two months training Circe and Muon to sniff out the plant. By allowing them to spend time with closely related orchid species, their noses became acutely aware of the flower’s scent.

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To test their abilities, the pups were set loose in the two areas where the orchids are known to be found. The result: Circe and Muon successfully followed the scent and located the plants.

The skill of these dogs comes as no surprise in the scientific world and is the reason companies like K9inSCENTive exist. In 2023, a border collie was responsible for finding a rare mole species that had been assumed extinct for 86 years. More recently, an English springer spaniel was trained to sniff out an elusive species of newts in the United Kingdom.

Circe, a Labrador retriever, was also trained to sniff out birds and bats in another study, while Muon, a Belgian Malinois-Belgian Tervuren cross, does the same as well as finds San Francisco garter snakes.

These dogs’ contributions to ecological research will directly lead to discoveries about the species they are trained to locate and help researchers continue their work. By being able to better study the Canelo Hills ladies tresses, the organizations involved can help with replanting and repopulating, keeping the environments in which they grow diverse and balanced.

Garden conservation and collections manager Steve Blackwell worked alongside Circe and Muon and is hopeful for their future contributions.

“Now that we’ve shown that the dogs can successfully find these plants in the wild,” Blackwell told the Desert Botanical Garden, “the next step will be for them to continue their training with the live plants in California. We will bring them back to Arizona next year with more experience where they can hopefully find even more plants at the existing sites and rediscover plants at the three sites where they have not been seen for over a decade.”

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