If playing all day is the life of a dog, then chasing birds as a career must be heaven for this new puppy-in-training.
Echo, a Hungarian mudi dog, moved to Canada from Finland in June and started her training to help manage wildlife at YVR.
Because YVR is on a migratory birth path, Echo and the wildlife team鈥檚 responsibility is to make sure the airfield is safe for both aircrafts and wildlife by finding birds that might cause a hazard and chasing them off.
The Hungarian mudi breed are known for their strong herding instincts and calm personalities
鈥淭hey have proven to be a great choice for YVR as the mudi is an active, intelligent breed that loves to work,鈥� said Arnie Jassmann, airfield maintenance services manager at 麻豆传媒映画airport authority. He added that the YVR wildlife team has partnered with an external dog trainer to select and train the dogs.
Jassmann said Echo will join Pilot, another dog on the wildlife team, 鈥渙n the airfield from October to May when the largest flocking birds, like snow geese, are migrating through or wintering near YVR.鈥� Echo is replacing team member Flight, a border collie, who is ready for retirement.
When Echo isn鈥檛 on the job, her favourite thing to do is to play with her mallard duck stuffed animal.
Echo is expected to graduate and start her job on the airfield at the end of summer in 2020.
