via www.thestar.com
When Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials suspect there is illegal lobster fishing going on they just whistle.
Quicker than you can say surf and turf, Sonic, a lobster-sniffing German shepherd — one of only two such dogs in the world — is on the case, tracking down illegally caught pregnant females.
“Sonic … is trained to find female lobsters with eggs on them, What he is smelling is the (natural) glue holds the eggs to the lobster’s belly,” said John Stuart, a federal fisheries officer and dog handler.
Stuart and his three-year-old canine partner put in a lot of miles from early April through autumn as they travel the Maritimes making sure that lobster fisherman aren’t keeping pregnant females that they’ve pulled out of traps. Sonic took over from Buddy, who is semi-retired now.
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