WTLV (Jacksonville, Florida) 06 September 06 Former Pound Puppy Now Helping Find Nearly Extinct Species (Kristin Smith)
Jacksonville, FL: We often think of dogs being used to aid humans to sniff out bombs or criminals.
But here in Jacksonville, we've got dogs helping out mother nature.
The Eastern Indigo Snake is as long as you are tall.
They're rough and leathery, and dark against a sandy background.
Though not poisonous, it looks pretty threatening.
"It's elusive and hard to find," said Bill Whitstine, a dog trainer.
The snake is threatening to disappear. The species is almost endangered.
A few years ago, the federal government had an idea - to train dogs with a keen sense of smell to find the slithery reptiles.
It began this program designed to prevent extinction with the help of the Jacksonville Zoo and Florida trainers.
And Pharoah - a show dog - had his big test Wednesday.
"And he's found the right snake every time," said Whitstine.
That's even though his trainer tried to throw him off the scent by using other snakes and other kinds of reptiles.
The trainer says Pharoah himself was almost endangered, stuck in a local pound.
"We thought, maybe he could help another species," said Whitstine.
And so far, the dog with the grand name is living up to his billing.
As for the snakes used in the trial, they're on display at the Jacksonville Zoo.
The next step for Pharaoh is going out into the field to find more snakes.
Puppy Now Helping Find Nearly Extinct Species