Puddles the dog fights against invasive species

by Robert Hudson

An Important job for Puddles the dog

Puddles the dog has an important new job for the state of Washington. Puddles is a mussel detection dog. Zebra mussels are an invasive specie because they latch onto ships and boats and spread into seaports, rivers and lakes. Removal is costly. When mussels reach a body of water they can never be fully eradicated.  Washington’s Columbia River is the only basin in the country that is still mussel-free, and Puddles will help keep it that way.

Puddles the dog came from the Green Dog Project’s “Rescued for a Reason” program in Fresno, California. Mussel Dogs in Oakdale, California trained Puddles to detect mussels.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worries that the zebra and quagga mussels will invade the Columbia River. This would cost millions of dollars in damage to their facilities. It would also cause hundreds of millions more in costs associated with environmental damage.

Good job Puddles! Working dogs rock!