A Kansas boy made a remarkable donation to his local detection dog group: his tonsils.
According to KSN Wichita, the tonsils were donated to the Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association (KSARDA) to help train their human remains detection dogs. Additionally, the young boy and his brother got to hide in a nearby forest while dogs in training tried to sniff them out.
There Doesn’t Seem to Be Anything Detection Dogs Can’t Smell Out
As any dog owner knows, the canine nose is a powerful tool. So much so, in fact, that scientists are studying dog noses to create new, more powerful particle sensors. Recently, detection dogs have played a vital role across various industries. For example, researchers in Rwanda found that trained dogs can detect COVID better than certain diagnostic tests. In another study, scientists discovered that dogs can even smell our stress.
Human remains detection dogs, also known as cadaver dogs, are essential components of search and rescue operations across the country. But that’s not all they’re good for. Amazingly, professionals from the Institute of Canine Forensics even trained dogs to find remains of the infamous Donner Party. With that in mind, it’s incredible to think about what else these detection dogs could find.
Donations Are Extremely Helpful in Training New Detection Dogs
Deidra Stanley, KSARDA’s director, said that most of their training samples are donated. “[When] people have knee surgery, they can donate the bone and tissue from the surgery,” said Stanley. “It helps our team to have newer human remains.”
With that in mind, Stanley also said that registering to donate is actually very easy. “It is a simple process,” Stanley said. “They sign a form and then give it to their doctor to sign, and then they can call us, and we will pick up the Item.” For dog owners, a small donation like this could make a huge difference for these wonderful, hard-working dogs.
