Meet Skye, an English springer spaniel who is one of a ten strong stoat detection dog team working on the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

That may sound like a lot of dogs, but since 2010, when the first stoat was spotted on Orkney, this INCREDIBLY successful predator has bred in its thousands, posing a huge problem to the island’s wildlife:

• Its super high metabolism means it eats 25% of its own body weight every day;
• It’s not fussy - eggs, chicks, voles, mice, rabbits, hedgehogs, fish, insects and even roadkill are all acceptable;
• It tends to kill more than it needs to eat and stores the rest to eat later;
• It’s an amazing hunter - fast, agile, can climb well and has great eyesight, hearing and sense of smell;
• It’s a great swimmer too, and can swim 3 km or more (eg to another island);
• When the baby stoats, called kits, leave home, they can travel over 40 miles in search of their own territory.

Handler and conservationist Chantel Carr explains to Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather that just two years ago, stoats were running around all over Orkney. Since then, over 6,000 stoats have been trapped. Now the numbers are coming down, the dogs’ work is even more important, as they actively find stoat scat (poo) and can alert the team to “stoat hot spots”.

The Orkney team swaps information and best practice with counterparts in New Zealand, where stoats were introduced to keep rabbits down, but have caused the extinction of a number of native birds.

• Find out more information on the Orkney Native Wildlife Project;
• Find out more about the work of the RSPB in Scotland and NatureScot, which support the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

Other dogs working in conservation

• Reid, the bio-security dog, who patrols the Scottish isles
• Five detection dogs survey the Isle of May for storm petrels
• Barley the conservation dog and his international projects
• Nica, Nettle and Phoenix, the Japanese knotweed detection dogs

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Kate would love to hear from you. Get in touch via team@shineradio.uk or katefairweather5@gmail.com, and follow Dogs with Jobs on your podcast app.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The display from the Odyssey Flyball Club proved one of the delights of the Goodwoof arena at the Goodwood Estate in Sussex a few weeks back.

Flyballer handler Hilary Larkham explains to Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather what flyball is all about, how it came to the UK, and why precision timing is just as important as speed in this high octane, four dog relay race.

Although you can see flyball at Crufts every year, this emerging, wildly exciting relay race over obstacles is not as well known as it deserves to be in the UK. We hope to bring you a longer version, but this is a great taster.

Other interviews recorded at Goodwoof 2024:

• Ninja, the Barkour dog, who travels around Europe practising the noble art of parkour, or freerunning;
• Police Dog Meika, who searches for criminals cash, drugs and firearms with the London Metropolitan Police

Find out more about Goodwoof.

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you know a dog with an interesting job, Kate would love to hear from you! Find me at kfairweather5@gmail.com or team@shineradio.uk.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six year Ninja is probably the best known proponent of "barkour" (parkour for dogs) in the world. Owner and handler Dominik Arend used to teach parkour to children in his native Germany, but Ninja and he now work professionally together.

Parkour, also known as free-running or l'art du déplacement (art of movement) originated in France and is a discipline, which demands both athleticism and artistic expression. The urban environment is viewed as an obstacle course to be engaged with in one’s own individual, often gymnastic style.

Dominik is eloquent and fascinating on the activity that has turned into a career for them both and how their relationship has developed over their shared working life, which clearly suits them.

Barkour's popularity is such, that Ninja and Dominik have almost half a million followers on Instagram and recently found themselves performing at Goodwoof, on the Goodwood Estate in Sussex. Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather caught up with them both backstage.

Thanks to Dominik for taking time to chat (@parkour.ninja on Instagram).

Thanks to Noni Needs (@nonineedsmedia on Instagram) for the photo.

Find out more about Goodwoof.

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you know a dog with an interesting job, Kate would love to hear from you! Email team@shineradio.uk or katefairweather5@gmail.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.