Dogs have amazing olfactory acuity; their noses are a great alternative to the broad use of nasty chemicals.

The dogs find that being conservationists is consistent with their desire for exercise and being outdoors.

Invasive, or aggressively spreading non-native animal and plant species, present a major problem in ecosystems all over the world. Unfortunately, some attempts to locate and then remove these animals involve the use of different chemicals, including 1080 and others that also destroy ecosystems.

One solution is to take advantage of the amazing olfactory abilities of dogs and have them use their highly evolved, keen sense of smell to locate the unwanted intruders. These are among the reasons I found award-winning writer and behavioral ecologist Dr. Alison Pearce Stevens’s highly acclaimed new book Detective Dogs: How Working Dogs Sniff Out Invasive Species to be a fascinating read. Written for youngsters, it’s really a book for all ages.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Detective Dogs, and how did you come up with the title?

Alison Pearce Stevens: I’ve been concerned about the state of our natural spaces for a long time, so I’m drawn to topics that feature ways we can help the natural world. That’s especially true because I write for young people, and I want them to have hope for our future on this incredible planet.

A few years ago, I wrote an article about the role of dogs in conservation efforts. That story looked at how we can train dogs to sniff out all kinds of organisms that are otherwise difficult for people to find, from invasive species we’re trying to eradicate to elusive species we’re trying to protect. Dogs have even been trained to sniff out orca scat (not sure if scat is the right word—it’s a huge cloud of goop!) to help researchers study........

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