A dogged pursuit... of poop | News

KITTERY, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- You've seen dogs who sniff for drugs and dogs who sniff for lost hikers. But this week, two dogs have come to Maine from Michigan to sniff for.. poop.

Sable and Logan work for Environmental Canine Services. They came with their owners, Scott and Karen Reynolds, to the Kittery Trading Post Tuesday to demonstrate their ability to search for "illicit discharge" in storm drains.

The dogs only alert to human sewage. And that helps scientists who are trying to figure out whether brooks or beaches are being contaminated by animal runoff or by human waste from pipes that aren't hooked up properly. The dogs work a lot quicker than traditional sample tests, and that can save towns money when they try to pinpoint their problem.

FB Environmental Associates contracted with the company to bring the dogs to Maine. This week, Sable and Logan will be working in towns between Kittery and Portland.

The Reynolds family is used to getting funny questions from people who hear about their line of work. "We do a lot of classroom education stuff, and a lot of younger boys will want to know: If I fart, will the dog bark," Scott Reynolds said. "And the answer is no. But what I like to say is, 'No, but he can tell if you haven't washed your hands after you've gone to the bathroom.' So they'll put their hands in their pockets or underneath their arms."