Pet Talk: Working dogs part 2

DEAR PET TALK: How many different jobs do dogs have?

— Dog Lover

DEAR DOG LOVER: Last week we wrote about Atlas, the German shepherd who works as a K9 officer at Fitchburg Police Department with Officer Mark Kaddy, his handler.

Police dogs perform a wide variety of tasks including work that can save a life, such as search-and-rescue. If someone gets into trouble in the mountains, beyond the reach of a cell phone signal, or a cold and wintry place where there may be avalanches, a search-and-rescue dog can detect the faintest scent of the person who is in danger.

Dogs do work for people who live on a farm; and they do work for people who are hunters and migrate from place to place. Dogs can be retrievers — and bring back game that their human has killed. Dogs can also be herders, such as border collies that make sure a flock of sheep stay together — especially if they are traveling to a new field.

Some people have dogs for security, such as guard dogs. These may be large and aggressive dogs such as dobermans or mastiffs. And did you know that pit bull dogs were originally known as “nanny dogs,” as they would be protective of an infant in a cradle.

The realm of working dogs for people who have disabilities is enormous. Service dogs can assist people who are blind and deaf. Some dogs are medical alert dogs — their sense of smell is so keen that they are trained to detect when their human partner could have a problem with diabetes, or is about to have a seizure.

Dogs such as Bernese mountain dogs were bred to pull a sled through deep snow in the mountains of Switzerland. Their big fluffy paws keep them from sinking deeply into the snow, and they are big and strong enough to pull a cart with supplies that might be needed.

However, the working dog I heard about not long ago has a fascinating job. Did you know some dogs are bred to sniff out bed bugs?

Hotels and large housing complexes will call someone who has a dog trained to sniff out human parasites, which can be found in mattresses, rugs, upholstery and even wall outlets!

Now, you may feel as though your dog isn’t as special as these working dogs, but trust me — your dog is a working dog because this is their job: being an ESA (emotional support animal).

Sally Cragin is the director of Be PAWSitive: Therapy Pets and Community Education. Text questions to 978-320-1335.