Gallery: Meet the Poop-Sniffing Dogs That Are Saving Endangered Wildlife

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    Jennifer Hartman/Conservation Canines
    01

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    Scooby has learned more species than any other dog: 21. The black Labrador just got back from Africa where he was looking for lion, cheetah, wild dog, hyena and a host of other carnivores.
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    Canyon Miller/Conservation Canines
    02

    Canyon-Miller-Conservation-Canines-CHESTER

    An 11-year-old Labrador and golden retriever mix, Chester spent last summer in Alberta, Canada looking for bear, wolf, cougar and coyote poo.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    03

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    Captain hails from the state of Ohio, but today he travels as far as Turkey to look for nine different species, including lynxes, wild boar, European badgers, and pine martens.
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    Amanda Phillips/Conservation Canines
    04

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Sadie may be the most ball-driven dog at the center. A few years ago, she tried returning to her owners, but even at 12 years old, she was still too much for them to handle.
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    Jennifer Hartman/Conservation Canines
    05

    Moose tracks!

    Max traveled to Cambodia a few years back to sniff out tiger scat. Back at home, he focuses on moose and woodland caribou.
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    Conservation Canines
    06

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    A rescue group outside Sacramento sent Hiccup to Conservation Canines after realizing his ball drive. He’s one of the five newest additions waiting to get field tested.
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    Heath Smith/Conservation Canines
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    Heath-Smith---Conservation-Canines-#7-PIPS

    Pips was adopted out three times—unsuccessfully—before ending up at Conservation Canines. Now he sniffs out short-tailed weasels, cougars, and saw whet owls.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    08

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    New recruit Jack came to Conservation Canines this past March by way of the Humane Society of Skagit County. His first project involved sniffing for bat roosts.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    09

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    More a mascot than a tracker, Casey the Jack Russell terrier prefers tagging along to classrooms and conferences than getting muddy in the field.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    10

    SAMPSON-2

    A former Seattle shelter dog, Sampson has tackled some of the hardest gigs in the program, from sniffing out pocket mice to sneaky little salamanders.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    11

    Waylon-Hanincova-021714-420-Edit-1200

    When Waylon arrived, he was 25 pounds overweight and had a bit of a grumpy attitude because of arthritis in his hips. So he mostly plays ball and lounges around the facility.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    12

    winnie-Hanincova-021714-538-Edit-1200

    Winnie was originally selected for a prison program, but today she focuses on searching the Sierra National Forest for fisher scat with the U.S. Forest Service.
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    Klara Hanincova/Conservation Canines
    13

    Ranger-Hanincova-021714-636-Edit---STORY-1200

    Ranger is a new member of the team—the black Lab mix is trained on wolverine, mink, bat and bird carcasses.
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    Conservation Canines
    14

    lil-manDSC-0144

    Lil’ Man is another newcomer to Conservation Canines—they’re still deciding if he’ll make the cut.
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