January 2, 2009

Southwest Florida International Airport employs the help of Border Collie Sky, above, in protecting airliners from bird strikes in South Fort Myers, Fla. (Pet Pulse Photo by Alicia Zaitsu)

SOUTH FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Though expensive metal detectors and armed security officers abound at all United States airports, airways are also turning to simpler measures to protect the approximate 769 million passengers who fly each year.

They employ dogs, whose hunting and herding abilities come as naturally to them as flying does to the birds.

Sky, a 1-year-old Border Collie, routinely frequents the Southwest Florida International Airport to help keep the birds at bay.

"Good girl. Good job," said James Hess, Sky's handler and the airport's operations manager. "Way to get those birds!"

"To the birds, she's the predator," Hess said. "She's that coyote or wolf they're used to seeing out in the wild."

Sky helps prevent bird strikes, which can cause major damage to an aircraft. Birds can get sucked into an engine or hit a windshield with enough force to cause a pilot to lose control.

"The birds are the largest offenders. They certainly are more high profile offenders because they're the ones that create the greatest danger of air craft in flight," said Mike Brown, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

The Federal Aviation Administration reports that during the last 14 years, birds have caused 97 percent of the 82,000 documented aircraft-animal collisions. Eleven of those crashes proved fatal, according to the FAA.

Military bases were the first to utilize dogs to ward off stray birds. The Dover Air Force Base, located in Delaware, has employed dogs to prevent bird strikes since the early 1980s.

Southwest Florida International was the first commercial airport in the nation to pick up the idea nearly 10 years ago.

"We're very proud of the program here at the airport. We're very proud of Sky." said Angie Strait, a public relations coordinator at Southwest International Airport. "We're very happy to have them as part of our team."

Before Sky came to town, two Border Collies, Jet and Radar, served to reduce the number of documented bird strikes. With officials noting the decrease as significant, other "bird dog programs" have continued to spout up at other airports.

Now, roughly 20 U.S. airports utilize bird dogs as part of their wildlife management program.

The work provides the herding dogs with a sense of purpose, while giving flying passengers one less worry to consider in reaching their final destination.

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