5 Dogs with [Odd] Jobs

Duke the Mayor of a Minnesota Town

Duke was recently re-elected as mayor for the third year in a row in the village of Cormorant, Minnesota. Mayor Duke is an eight year old Great Pyrenees who is loved by all 12 residents of the small village.

Duke isn’t the first four-legged mayor. Bosco, a Labrador-Rottweiler mix, was mayor of Sunol, California for 13 years. Goofy the German Shepherd was elected mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky in 1998. Lucy Lou the Border Collie is the current mayor of the small Kentucky Hamlet.

Strangely enough, there are some who would argue that all of these dogs just might be more fit for office than a certain someone holding the most powerful position in the United States.

Daisy the Cancer Detection Dog

Since a young pup, Daisy the Labrador was trained at the Medical Detection Dogs charity based in England. She was taught to sniff out cancer and other diseases with samples of skin, urine, and breath. Daisy successfully detected over 550 cases of cancer, including that of her owner Dr. Claire Guest’s breast cancer! Daisy was awarded the Blue Cross Medal for her work in the field of cancer prevention and detection. Sadly, Daisy recently passed away at the age of 13.

Arrow the Skydiving, Anti-Poaching Dog

Arrow is a two-year-old Belgian Malinois being trained by the Anti-Poaching and Canine Training Academy. He is the world’s first skydiving dog who is specially trained to combat poaching. The idea is to get the dogs on the ground fast enough to sniff out and catch suspected poachers. Parachuting helps get them to the ground quietly and covertly.

Dante the Truffle Tracker

Truffles are a highly sought-after and delicious type of mushroom that grow underground in the roots of trees. They are valuable because they are so difficult to find. Ripe truffles are best found by scent, making dogs great for the job. Dante, a Lagotto Romagnolo, runs through the Oregon forests with owner and mushroom expert Charles Lefevre. He sniffs along the forest floor until he catches the scent. Dante stops, wags his tail and digs his nose into the ground to alert his owner of the discovery.

Piper the Runway Protector

Piper is a Border Collie from Michigan who protects an airport runway from birds! Piper works four days a week at Traverse City Airport, keeping the runway free from birds and other animals that pose a threat to pilots trying to land their planes. It may seem like an odd job, but bird strikes can be fatal. In 2014, a loon struck an incoming plane and crashed through into the cockpit. And man, does Piper look cool. He wears a ski mask and little boots for protection, which make him a star on the runway and online.