COVID-sniffing dogs are now being used to screen employees at the Miami airport. How would you feel about that if you worked there?
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Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Tag Archives: COVID 19
Miami Airport is Going to the Dogs
Miami is really embracing the power of dog noses. They have had COVID-sniffing dogs screen fans at Miami Heat games and attendees at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. Now they have taken on the employees at MIA.
So far, they’ve gotten grades above 95% for accuracy!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
COVID-19 Detector
A new four-legged, wet-nosed addition greets people at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. “Buffy” is a 2-year-old, sweet-tempered, yellow Labrador retriever and a highly trained scent detection dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs. Buffy meets visitors as they enter the hospital and if she detects COVID-19, the visitor is asked to get additional testing. Testing can be done free of charge at the hospital or if visitors prefer, another location.
Trainers at Southeastern Guide Dogs placed “Buffy” in a scent detection study nine months ago. Using deactivated samples from COVID-19 patients at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, Buffy was trained to detect changes in a person’s immune system. Labrador retrievers have an estimated 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about six million in humans. The dogs can detect our body fighting the virus. During training, the dogs are approximately 95% effective at detecting COVID-19 in a person. If Buffy detects COVID-19 she simply lays down at the visitor’s feet and waits for a treat.
Visitors entering the hospital will still be screened by a hospital caregiver, have their temperature taken and be required to wear a mask. Buffy is being used as an extra resource, although a very furry one, to help keep the community safe. Hospital CEO, Robert Meade, adopted Buffy and she lives with the Meade family when she is not at the hospital.
Thanks for helping, Buffy!
#MaskUp #BackUp
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Score One For The Cat
A friendly reminder from the Twitter feed of Lorenzo The Cat:
#MaskUp #BackUp
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Iditarod Starts in 18 Days!
Although today the race could be held in Texas, The Iditarod will, as always, be held in Alaska, starting on March 7th. However, they have made some significant changes due to COVID-19. Here’s the scoop:
The Iditarod Trail Committee confirmed that both the restart and the finish of the Last Great Race on Earth will take place at Deshka Landing. The decision was mutually made by the Iditarod and the Willow Area Community Organization due to concern for COVID-19 risk mitigation at the Willow Area Community Center, which is also undergoing construction projects on facilities regularly utilized by the Iditarod.
Deshka Landing, located approximately 7.5 road miles from Willow Lake, serves as a year-round access point to the Lower Susitna Drainage consisting of the Susitna River, Deshka River, Yentna River, Alexander Creek and all tributaries. This change for the 2021 race, along with the Iditarod Golden Trail Loop race route, further allows race organizers to safely execute and continue to protect the communities along the trail, the mushers, volunteers and Iditarod personnel. Continue reading Iditarod Starts in 18 Days!
COVID-19 Detection Dogs at Miami Heat Games
Super dogs to the rescue!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
#MaskUp #BackUp
Pet Food Pantries
From the good folks at Alley Cat Allies, a searchable directory of food pantries that can help you feed your dog while stimulus / relief funds are stalled in Congress.
On the other hand, if you’re flush, you can follow the same link and scroll down to make a donation in support of Alley Cat’s work or use the directory to locate your local pantry and donate to them.
Although Alley Cat Allies is (obviously) focused on felines, most of these pantries assist with dog food as well as cat food.
As the virus surges, please, please, please #StayHomeStaySafe if you can.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
COVID19 Sniffer Dogs
Although the virus reportedly makes you lose your sense of smell, it apparently gives you a particular odor dogs can sniff out.
The airport in Helsinki, Finland, is testing passengers for Covid-19 by using trained dogs to sniff out the virus. NBC’s Kelly Cobiella joins Shep Smith on CNBC to discuss what could be a new way to detect for Covid-19.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Outdoor Dining
Health officials say one of the most dangerous things you can do during this pandemic is to eat inside a restaurant. They recommend eating on the patio. How serendipitous that many patios allow you to bring your dog along!
Not sure where to go? Check out Zomato from Urban Spoon to search for restaurants near you with outside seating. Just enter your city or town where it currently says “Canton”. Then call the restaurant to find out how dog friendly they are.
Happy dining!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Dog Silhouette Face Mask
Check out the cute face mask from Debbie Martin Designs, available at the AKC Museum of the Dog’s gift shop. Only $16 for this reusable, non-medical gem.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
#WearTheMask