U.S. Tests Super-Sniffing Dogs. (Tech Talk).

The Department of Defense has tested the ability of highly-trained dogs to detect chemical and biological agents, and the results were positive, according to Larry Crandall, a spokesman for Ronco Consulting Corporation, of Washington, D.C.

"The tests were successful, demonstrating that these dogs can detect the presence of such agents, even in hermetically sealed containers, down to pre-release levels," said Crandall. "At these levels--typically encountered when such agents are still inside sealed containers--they are not harmful to either the detection dogs or humans."

Ronco leads a consortium that has been training, fielding and integrating vapor-sniffing mine and unexploded ordnance detection dogs into demining programs for 12 years, in 40 mine-affected countries, Crandall explained. This experience has enabled Ronco to refine the methods of training vapor-sniffing dogs for landmine detection.

It is feasible, Ronco researchers have found, to train dogs on almost any agent. Individual bomb dogs have been trained to detect 16 different scents.

"Essentially, the dogs learn to capture the molecular scent of the particular agent that law enforcement and health authorities wish to detect," said Crandall. When the dog detects the agent, it immediately alerts the handier by sitting next to the suspect object.

Ronco also markets an environmentally safe, portable blast chamber for on-site destruction of agents. The combination of the trained dogs and the blast chamber, Crandall said, helps law enforcement and military organizations to detect and dispose of chemical and biological agents before their use by terrorists.