The internet is buzzing with stories of a cute dog who was deployed by the Ukrainian military to sniff out and detect Russian mines.
Patron (that translates to Pellet in English) was initially posted to Reddit’s r/ dogs with jobs topic but has since been removed.
Patron, who seems to be a Jack Russell Terrier, is seen slipping on a teeny-tiny Ukrainian military vest and gaping eagerly at a Russian mine that has been pulled from the ground in the photo.
Patron is two years old and “likes junk and chancing Russian land mines around Chernihiv, Ukraine,” according to a recent report on Imgur.
“We don’t earn pets and their faithful affection,” someone else observed.
“He must be enjoying the time of his life,” another individual said. Every day, I’m on the walkie-talkie.”
Mine detection pets detect snares and other chemicals oozing from the ordnance by smelling them.
Some breeds of dogs are very good at distinguishing target odors from background odors, making them ideal for the job and even better than mortal demining teams.
The olfactory center in pets’ brains – which is responsible for their sense of smell – is roughly 40 times larger than it is in humans.
It’s a location where you can post a photo of your dog in our Top Pets feed and give advice to other dog owners.
Pets must be trained in the art of mine detection, with this training being outgunned on a regular basis to keep their skills sharp.
Mine discovery pets have been employed since the Second World War, but only recently have they been used encyclopedically.
Over 750 pets are authorized to participate in charity demining programs in 23 countries.
