The internet is buzzing with stories about a cute dog who was assigned by the Ukrainian mili.tary to sniff out and detect Russian min.es.
Patron (which translates to Pellet in English) was originally posted to Reddit’s r/ dogswithjobs forum, but has since been removed.
Patron, who appears to be a Jack Russell Terrier, is seen slipping on a teeny-tiny Ukrainian military vest and gaping excitedly at a Russian mine that has been dragged from the ground in the photo.
Patron is two years old and “likes rubbish and chancing Russian land min.es near Chernihiv, Ukraine,” according to a recent repost on Imgur.
“We don’t earn pets and their faithful love,” someone else observed.
“He must be having the time of his life,” another person said. Every day, I’m on the walkie-talkie.”
Mine detection pets detect snares and other chemicals oozing from the munitions by smelling them.
Some breeds of dog are particularly good at distinguishing target odors from background odors, making them ideal for the job and even better than mortal demining teams.
The olfactory center in pets’ brains – which is responsible for their sense of smell – is roughly 40 times larger than it is in humans.
It’s a place where you can post a photo of your dog in our Top Pets feed and give advice to other dog owners.
Pets must be trained in the art of mine detection, with this training being outgunned on a regular basis to keep their skills sharp.
Mine discovery pets have been used since the Second World War, but only recently have they been used encyclopedically.
Over 750 pets are allowed to participate in philanthropic demining programs in 23 countries.
