MI Conservation Dogs

06/09/2026

Harry is a higher-level nosework doggo, learning that sniffing in the wilderness is a BLAST!!

He’s highly odor-driven, very direct, and a dream to watch. Here, he has an in situ, elevated hide on a trail. The wind is coming toward us, on a trail, on a hot, kind of windless evening.

Earlier problems began with familiar patterns, using PVC tubes, focusing on odor commitment and well-known tools as we increase the complexity of the environment. I think he was brilliant!!

06/08/2026

We think this is pretty awesome! Thanks for this fabulous tool , Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN)

06/08/2026

Car Setups + Friendships
It is *solidly* aluminet + fan season!!!

Back in the day when I was brand new to SAR, I didn’t know how MUCH I would learn. Not just about keeping dogs cool as they ‘rest’ ‘patiently.’

I learned how people coming together with a common goal - train our dogs to find missing people - outshadowed methodology, breed preferences, income levels, and more. I made some of my most cherished friendships in those long, HOT evenings across Washtenaw County…hours of playing in the woods with our dogs.

Adam, Nicole, Emma, Beth, Sarah, Dana, Lisa, Don, Marino, and more…we had so SO many good times.

So, yeah, train your dogs, keep them cool, and cherish ALL the moments.

06/06/2026

🐢🐢One simple way to help our turtles is to report sightings!

Our slow(ish) friends are highly active right now, making their way to nesting spots. Helping them cross roads is great.

Taking the time to fill out this form is even better: https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/species/report

Keep up the excellent work, friends. 🐢 🐢

It's that time of year again! Have you seen any of these turtles crossing roads or digging nests on your property? If so, please consider submitting your observations to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory Rare Species Form to help inform turtle conservation efforts across the state!

Click here to learn about the Rare Species Form:
https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/species/report

Click here to learn more about MNFI, the Natural Heritage Database, and the work that we do:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/10cff7ddf03240c395fbb384a0ab76e9

06/04/2026

Some moments capture it all: the why and the partnership.

Grateful to Kellie for this tiny reminder. 💖

06/03/2026

Detection training for all *sorts* of species!! We love the work APOPO does in the mine/explosives detection space…SO COOL to watch.

06/03/2026

TBH, we're gonna love ANYthing that self-identifies as "feral." It's in our Wildling nature, to be sure.

So, reading this post about Feral Flora, LLC, making some very cool commitments to the land and landscape? Big fans. Immediate follow. (you should, too!)

06/02/2026

WE’RE BACK!!
Life did life things for the last few weeks, so it’s been a minute since we ran larger, real-life training problems.

I traveled, I got sick, I had to catch up. Criteria for this run mostly focused on ‘do you remember what we’re doing’ and HAVE FUN!

Criteria met.

Watching her work fascinates me…

05/30/2026

VERY cool and creative way to use a conservation dog!!