Is That Animal Spying On You? The little squirrel in the photo above probably would never be considered for a spy mission in a global hot spot (unless there were peanuts involved). However, what could be a friendly dog, lounging by the fireplace in your secret spy headquarters, could be a spy. It sounds like a movie plot, but in quite a few instances in history, espionage has been enhanced successfully by a seemingly innocuous animal. Montana State University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is hosting a virtual talk from MSU alum Kelly Lewis next week with the topic "Animal Allies: The History of Animals in Espionage."