UpdatedTue, May 4, 2021 at 11:10 am ET
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Buffy the COVID-sniffing dog, trained in a Southeastern Guide Dogs pilot program, has a 95 percent accuracy rate in detecting COVID-19 in a person. (Shutterstock)
SARASOTA, FL The Doctors Hospital of Sarasota has a furry addition to its team of medical professionals on the front line battling the coronavirus pandemic: a COVID-sniffing yellow Labrador retriever named Buffy.
The sweet-tempered 2-year-old pup is a highly trained scent-detection dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, according to a news release from the hospital.
She greets visitors at the hospital s entrance and, if she detects COVID-19, she ll lie down at the visitor s feet and wait for a treat. Visitors will be asked to get additional testing, which can be done free of charge at the hospital or elsewhere if the person prefers.
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Dogs are really good at using their noses to find things. I had a beagle that could pinpoint where someone was grilling miles away. They are smart dogs and dogs can sometimes get in trouble because of their nose.
Unless they are trained the right way. We ve all seen dogs trained to search for bombs, drugs, to search for people, and even dogs that can detect health problems that someone may be experiencing.
Now a Texas Tech researcher wants to find out whether or not dogs can be trained to sniff out invasive pests and species for farmers. According to a release from Texas Tech University, Nathan Hall, an assistant professor of companion animal science in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences has received a grant to research whether support dogs can be trained to help the agricultural industry.