Almost every day, there is an opportunity to become a hero. Either you save a child from a burning house, bust big illegal transactions, or simply help an old lady across the street -- you can then be considered a modern-day hero. People saving other people is big news, but an even bigger news is when a dog saves people’s lives. Almost all great feats of courage and selflessness can be done by service-trained dogs.
These everyday heroes became more and more in demand -- to do tasks like locate explosives, chemicals or illegal substances -- after the September 11 bombing of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Search-and-Rescue canines were also of big use then.
Today, the Labrador Retriever has gained so much admiration for her great heroic abilities. But before this, other breeds such as the Belgian Malinois and -- more commonly -- the German Shepherd were tasked to do the searching and rescuing.
To cite an example of how popular the Labrador Retriever have become, institutions such as the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Customs, and the Auburn University’s Canine Detection Training Center have all started breeding programs purely for detection Labrador Retrievers.
So what makes the Labrador Retriever so qualified for this job, you may ask. Well in fact, most dogs -- of any breed -- can smell a variety of scents from afar. No mechanical detection device can ever match up to the smelling prowess of dogs. Another great feature that dogs have is their ability to remember the scent and locate its direct source.
The Labrador Retriever -- who’s obviously a dog also -- definitely has these scent detection skills as well. During the breed's historic “retrieving exercise” as a hunting dog, her owner -- who’s also a hunter -- made her retrieve fallen fowl. The hunter just pointed to where the bird might have fallen and it was up to the dog to pick up the odor and trace its actual location.
And if that’s not enough, the Labrador Retriever is said to have this ability to block out other scents around her to focus on the scent that she’s tracking down. And most dogs don’t have this gift; only Labrador Retrievers do.
In addition, the Labrador Retriever works very hard and is always willing to learn more. She is so workaholic that it seems like she can’t stand doing nothing. She is highly intellectual and picks her lessons up very quick. The Labs are also very sociable dogs. They like working around people, in contrast to other dog breeds that like to be independent.
With these qualities, the Labrador Retriever makes a very good detection dog, as well as a good companion in tranquil and troubled times.
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