A dog’s sense of smell is an amazing advantage. Visit NOVA’s Dog’s Dazzling Sense of Smell website and find out just how awesome it is! Wondering if your dog is one of the breeds with acute olfactory senses? This site lists the top ten most sensitive dog noses. The BBC also offers some insight into the nose of a dog with: How powerful is a dog’s nose? Watch as “Fern,” a search and rescue dog, seeks out a canister of meat deep underwater. An impressive feat, to be sure. Can she find it? Looking to “sniff” out more information about dogs? National Geographic’s Wonder of Dogs discusses all of a dog’s senses.

Dogs are an immense part of many people’s lives and can open the world to people suffering from mobility issues, anxiety, seizures or autism. Learn how dogs have helped Veterans recover from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, provided assistance to autistic individuals (Four Paws for Ability) and helped people with seizures as a Seizure Dog. For a list of services provide by dogs to humans click here. 

The canine sense of smell can do wonders. What will the future bring for man’s best friend? Dogs that can detect cancer and bombs? Read this article and find out about McBaine, the highly trained cancer detection dog. Then, watch here as a dog is trained from a young age to detect explosives. Like to read about dogs? Check out Education of a Bomb Dog from Smithsonian Magazine.

Dogs are also being used in conservation to “sniff” out invasive species like the Giant African Snail, and the zebra mussel. Dog Detectives have been of great assistance to scientists in the field. Watch as a scat detecting canine opens up a new world to scientists. Visit the University of Washington site: Conservation Canines and find out the details.