A long, long time ago, in a galaxy not that far away, we had a friend who was a fry cook in Dover, Ark., at a little place called Buccaneer. Therein was a regular customer who would come through the drive-through in his pickup and order a few hamburgers--just the patties. As in, hold the bun, lettuce, mayo, tomato, special sauce and everything else that wasn't dead animal flesh.
It turned out those patties were for his dogs. And you know what? The dogs were worth it. No evidence needed, your honor. All dogs are worth it, and they all go to heaven. That's what we know.
For many of us, dogs are family and co-workers, sure. But some of them are also members of the police department or sheriff's office. Some of them sniff for drugs at airports and more crowded and frenzied places, like high schools. And some of them are service animals for people who need a little extra help.
A friend at the office has a service dog named Pasha for his daughter who has diabetes. The dog is able to detect her blood sugar levels just by smell, and alert her. Is that dog sharp or what? (The best days in the newsroom are when Pasha comes to visit, and the vest comes off so the dog knows she isn't on the job at the moment and can play. Dogs at the office beat even fresh coffee creamer.)
But beyond police dogs and service dogs, America now has its first leak-detecting dog employed right here in The Natural State. Here's more from the paper:
"Vessel, a rescue black lab mix, will soon be sniffing out leaks in the system for Central Arkansas Water, the utility that serves about 450,000 customers in the region . . . . Central Arkansas Water CEO Tad Bohannon got the idea of adding a dog to the utility's ranks while at a conference in the United Kingdom. Across the pond, they're called 'sniffing dogs.' In the United States, canines are already used to detect leaks in oil pipelines."
Those Brits and Aussies are onto a solid idea. Makes us wonder why the colonies didn't try it sooner. Vessel will save Central Arkansas Water thousands of dollars because instead of digging in places where workers suspect there's a leak and finding nothing, the dog will show them exactly where it is the first time. Because Vessel can smell chlorine, which Central Arkansas Water uses to treat its water. That's how she'll differentiate from regular groundwater.
Accuracy in a nice package; just add water. Perhaps the coolest thing about this story is Vessel is a rescue. This might lead to more adoptions by other water companies across the state and country. All eyes are on you, Vessel. Guess there's only one question left to ask. Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!
Find the water! Find the water!
And maybe after that, we can do more important work. Like find the toy we keep in the desk.
Editorial on 11/23/2019