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Amphibian and Reptile Detection Dogs

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Amphibian and Reptile Detection Dogs

Ecologist, great crested newt detection dog handler and PhD student at the University of Salford

29/08/2026

🐾💚 Freya, Newky & Obi doing what they love - searching for great crested newts! 🦎🌿

27/08/2026

Same target…two very different searches today 🐕🌿

A precautionary GCN search took us from dry grassland full of burrows 🌾 to wet woodland 🌳 - each presenting its own complexities and requiring different amounts of search time.

Something my PhD research really highlighted is how distance, substrate and environmental conditions can influence detection and search dynamics. 🔬

Take that into the real world and add burrows, vegetation, roots, moisture and changing airflow and suddenly the scent picture becomes a lot more complicated!

It’s why we don’t just consider whether a dog has indicated or not. Habitat complexity, environmental conditions and search coverage all contribute to how confident we can be in detectability, particularly following a negative search.

I love seeing the science from my PhD translate into real operational searches like this 🐕💚

23/08/2026

A couple of days early, but happy 11th birthday to my Queen 👑❤️

Where has the time gone since I picked you up at just 8 weeks old?! 😱 And I can’t believe it’s already been a whole year since our shepherd’s hut getaway for her 10th birthday!

Today she was treated to two of her absolute favourite things combined… toys AND swimming 😂🎾💦 We rented a heated swimming pool for an hour at the wonderful K9 Retreat, and it was just me and Freya playing in the water together for the whole hour. Safe to say, she was in her element 🥹❤️

This dog deserves to be spoilt more than I could ever put into words.

She’s not only my loyal companion. She’s been my colleague, my therapist, my teammate and, ultimately, the reason I ended up in the career of a lifetime….and now a Dr 🎓🐾

So much of what my life looks like today started with that tiny 8-week-old puppy I brought home nearly 11 years ago. I had absolutely no idea where she would end up taking me.

I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever have another bond quite like the one I have with this little sass queen 👑 We have this completely unspoken language between us.

Even writing this is making me tear up 🥹❤️

Happy 11th birthday, Freya. My Queen, my girl, my once-in-a-lifetime dog ❤️🐾

07/08/2026

These two beautiful cockers have been doing me incredibly proud over the last couple of weeks 🐶💙

Bandit and Bluey have been working their way across a huge catchment, using their noses to help narrow down areas of interest for further investigation by our brilliant Stream Clean Team 🔎💧

When we first started exploring the use of detection dogs for wastewater, it was understandably met with some scepticism. It was a completely new way of working and something that needed to prove its value.

Seeing how far the programme has come since then has been incredibly rewarding. The results and impact are speaking for themselves, and what was once an unfamiliar approach is increasingly becoming a trusted part of our pollution investigation toolkit.

But ultimately, it’s about what happens after the dogs indicate. By helping us focus investigations and identify potential sources of contamination more efficiently, they’re supporting the wider team to find and resolve issues that could otherwise impact our rivers and streams. 🌊🌿

It’s amazing to be working at the forefront of pollution reduction and seeing these dogs play a genuine role in protecting our waterways.

Very proud of these two and of the incredible team behind them. 🐾💙

18/07/2026

🎤 This week I was Invited to deliver wastewater detection dog demonstrations at the Wessex Water Treatment Network event… I expected around 20–30 people, but we ended up presenting to 102 people on Tuesday and 70 on Thursday! 😱

🐕 Despite the biggest audiences we’ve ever demonstrated to, Bandit and Bluey were absolute superstars and took everything in their stride. We even captured some drone footage afterwards, which they completely ignored.

🌅 The rest of the week meant 4 am starts in Cerne Abbas with Newky, carrying out great crested newt surveys before road plates were removed. These linear searches are one of his strengths, and although the grass was much higher than expected, we adapted and got the job done.

💙 Another week reminding me just how versatile these incredible dogs are. So proud of all three of them! 🐾

27/06/2026

What a week!

After landing back from holiday on Sunday, it was straight into one of the biggest weeks of my career.

🎓 On Tuesday, I successfully passed my PhD viva with minor amendments – an incredible milestone after six years of research into environmental detection dogs and great crested newt conservation.

💧 I also had the privilege of attending the Water Industry Awards, where , alongside our training partners , were shortlisted for both Pollution Mitigation Initiative of the Year and Wastewater Project of the Year. While we didn’t come away with a win, being recognised as finalists in such competitive categories is something we’re all incredibly proud of. It reflects the innovation, collaboration and dedication that has gone into developing the wastewater detection dog programme.

🐾 The week finished back where I love being most – out in the field with Obi and Newky, starting early to beat the heat while supporting a capital project through great crested newt detection work.

From defending years of PhD research, to celebrating industry recognition, to being back in the field with the dogs, it’s been a week that perfectly sums up why I love what I do.

Now it’s on to the minor amendments before officially completing the PhD!

PhD WessexWater WaterIndustryAwards

03/06/2026

A fantastic day in Cambridge speaking at the UK Semiochemistry Network Meeting.

I had the opportunity to present part of my PhD research, looking at odour discrimination in amphibians and how detection dogs can differentiate between species. I also shared some exciting laboratory work undertaken in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, where we analysed amphibian scent samples using solid-phase microextraction, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

The results identified compounds unique to great crested newts, compounds unique to anurans, and many that overlapped between species, providing fascinating insights into amphibian chemical ecology and the odours available to detection dogs.

I also thoroughly enjoyed listening to the other presentations. A huge thank you to Stefano Vaglio for inviting me to speak and for his support and collaboration throughout this chapter of my PhD. I’m looking forward to publishing these results in the future and sharing more about what we’ve discovered.

🦎🐾🔬

29/05/2026

As temperatures rise, so does the importance of managing the welfare of our detection dogs. 🐾☀️

At Wessex Water, the welfare of our dogs is always our top priority, and during periods of hot weather, we adapt how we work to ensure they remain safe, comfortable, and able to perform at their best.

This week has seen some very early starts, with alarms going off at 4am before heading down to Dorset for surveys. With a two-hour drive each way, we plan our days carefully and aim to complete searches by around 9am before temperatures begin to climb.

Some of the measures we put in place include:

🐾 Ensuring fresh water is always readily available
🐾 Rotating dogs regularly to prevent fatigue
🐾 Providing rest periods in our air-conditioned canine vehicle between searches
🐾 Continuously monitoring each dog’s condition and temperature
🐾 Assessing surfaces such as tarmac, manhole covers and other infrastructure that can heat up rapidly in urban environments
🐾 walking in shaded areas between searches

One of the most important things to remember is that every dog is different. Some dogs cope well with warmer conditions, while others reach their threshold much sooner. Understanding each dog’s individual needs and recognising the earliest signs of heat stress is a key part of responsible handling.

The dogs may love working, but it’s our responsibility to make the right decisions for them. Sometimes that means shorter searches, more breaks, earlier starts, or even postponing work altogether.

Working dogs can only do their job effectively when their welfare comes first, and that’s exactly how we approach every deployment. 🐶💙

14/05/2026

What an incredible few days having our annual assessments with Conservation K9 Consultancy for my great crested newt detection dogs 🦎🐾

For those who know me know I’m a huge advocate for training, assessments, and continuous professional development to ensure we continue maintaining high professional standards. It’s how we’ve grown so much since I established the Wessex Water detection dog programme back in 2018.

Because I work quite independently, it’s especially important that both the dogs and I are continually assessed and supported. Finding the right trainer by your side is so important, someone who will support you, be honest, and provide constructive refinement and recommendations in a collaborative and supportive way.

Louise is a wealth of knowledge. She focuses on every aspect required for successful deployment, including handling techniques, fluidity, synergy, partnership, trust, health and welfare, arousal levels, and ensuring the dogs continue working with confidence and happiness, alongside considering their lifestyle and diet outside of work.

Every year brings new challenges, whether that’s changing project demands, adapting operational requirements, or natural behavioural changes as the dogs mature and develop. Having experienced trainers and assessors around you is invaluable for maintaining standards while also protecting the welfare and wellbeing of the dogs.

A massive thank you to Louise and Conservation K9 Consultancy for the continued support, guidance, and honest feedback. The dogs did me incredibly proud, and we are excited to continue operational deployment throughout 2026/27 on great crested newt odour.

We’ve come away with lots to reflect on, refine, and continue building on as a team 🐾

27/04/2026

Happy 2nd birthday to our wastewater detection dogs, Bandit and Bluey 🐾

These boys have been helping us keep our waterways clean with their expert noses here at Wessex Water.

Their work has also contributed to us and our partners Cape SPC being finalists at the Water Industry Awards for Wastewater Programme of the Year and Pollution Mitigation Initiative, something we’re incredibly proud of.

Here’s to many more finds (and a few well-earned toys and chews along the way).

Let’s wish Bandit and Bluey a very happy 2nd birthday 🎉🐾

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