   | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 10/01/2016 Poop can be a legitimate topic of scientific inquiry, and with their canine helpers, scientists are using animals’ feces to gather data and make conservation decisions for endangered species. The book begins with a fascinating look at the special training and important jobs that canines take on in order to help scientists in the field. Using information gleaned directly from dog-handlers, veterinarians, biological scientists, and researchers, Wadsworth discusses the amazing adaptive abilities of dogs’ olfactory functions and what qualities make dogs the perfect fit for the job of sniffing scat. Full-color photographs show dogs working in the desert, in the forest, and even on the open water, and reveal the synergy between humans and dogs. The narrative also emphasizes the lengths that scientists will go to protect endangered animals by studying their behavior patterns, their diets, and threats to their health. This book encourages readers to think about unconventional sources of information and the unusual methods of data collection necessary to scientific discovery. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. School Library Journal - 10/01/2016 Gr 3–7—Scat can tell scientists a lot about an animal's age, gender, diet, and health without harming the animal or the researcher. Scat-detection dogs are conservation heroes that use their amazing sense of smell to locate the feces, urine, horn, and hair of a targeted animal. This elite group of canines travel the world to help find and save endangered animals one poop at a time. The origin of these super sniffers (with Samuel Wasser recognized as the pioneer of the scat-detection field), how the rescued dogs are selected and trained, and specific examples of the different duties these dogs are assigned are covered. One example is a story about Tucker, a happy-go-lucky Labrador retriever mix who doesn't like to swim but is an expert at finding orca poop. VERDICT A fine selection that will appeal to a wide range of readers, from dog and science lovers to conservation enthusiasts and kids who enjoy all things poop related.—Paula Huddy, The Blake School-Highcroft Campus, Wayzata, MN - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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