He realized his dogs have an unusual skill. Now he uses them to help save turtles.

Oxalis

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By Cathy Free, The Washington Post
June 8, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. UTC

"John Rucker was a high school English teacher in North Carolina when he stumbled upon something interesting: Whenever he took his two dogs hiking, they would run into the tall grass and bring him back box turtles. Like a gift, his Boykin spaniels would gently lay them at his feet, unharmed.

"He mentioned it to a few people, and soon, biology teachers from the University of North Carolina started reaching out to him and asking whether he would take their students out so they could put transmitters on the turtles to study them."

 

Maro2Bear

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I think I posted a similar article to the CDR.... we all, including Mr Dog Trainer himself @Tom agreed that it wasnt a real good idea. Dogs should have been trained to stop, sit & wait. NOT retrieve the turtles.

At least they are trying to do the right thing. ?
 

Oxalis

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I think I posted a similar article to the CDR.... we all, including Mr Dog Trainer himself @Tom agreed that it wasnt a real good idea. Dogs should have been trained to stop, sit & wait. NOT retrieve the turtles.

At least they are trying to do the right thing. ?
I really did wonder this as well when I read it.
 

turtlesteve

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The dog I had as a kid did the same thing. She was an Australian cattle dog. We never trained her to find box turtles on purpose but she brought them to us spontaneously. After several instances we taught her the word turtle, and she would actively look for one if asked. She was never as capable as these dogs and had a much shorter attention span.
 

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