Dogs hot on the trail of covid-19 cases

Working breeds

At MDD, which was founded 12 years ago, the dogs are usually trained for about six months. The company specializes in bio-detection and medical assistance dogs. The latter animals can be used to help raise the alert if people with conditions such as diabetes or severe allergies are about to experience heightened symptoms. In view of the pandemic, the program for the COVID-19 sniffer dogs has been accelerated.

Digby, the Labradoodle, has been joined on the project by a Labrador named Star, a Labrador/golden retriever cross-bred called Storm and three cocker spaniels, Jasper, Asher and Norman.

Whitby-Collins, the chief operating officer, said: "All dogs and breeds are capable of detecting cancer, other diseases and crisis situations in humans. However, because our dogs screen samples on a carousel, we select working breeds that are good at hunting. It is important that these dogs have good noses and love searching and hunting for toys."

The dogs, which have spent the past few weeks familiarizing themselves with the system, will soon be given COVID-19 samples for the first time.

To ensure stable living conditions, a strict "no kennel" policy is enforced. Whitby-Collins described a "school run", where the dogs are picked up each morning from family homes to start a training shift, before being returned in the afternoon.

"They love their work－their tails are always wagging. For them, it is a game that uses their natural ability to sniff, and results in a treat," he said.

Lindsay, from Durham University, said he has heard of skepticism about the project among the medical community.

"Which is natural because any new idea people push back on, and the medical profession is almost entirely geared toward interventions which are vaccines or drugs or diagnostics," he said.

"The idea of disease-smelling dogs might be less outlandish to people who own dogs, said Lindsay, whose black Labrador, Tilly, sat beside him.