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- When he goes out and actually deploys to chase something,
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it looks like a missile launch.
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I just open up the back door and he jumps out.
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It's a lot of fun.
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Piper is the only dog working at this airport,
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and there's actually only a handful of dogs
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working at airports around the country.
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It's a pretty rare thing.
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I am Brian Edwards.
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Piper and I work at the Cherry Capital Airport
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in Traverse City, Michigan.
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Piper is a Border Collie.
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Piper's prime function here is wildlife control.
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Primarily, Piper is going to be chasing away
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large waterfowl like ducks and geese.
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In the wintertime, it actually chases away the snowy owl,
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and then in the summertime,
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it's basically seagulls and crows.
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Birds can cause a lot of different types of damage.
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Most bird strikes are with smaller
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types of birds that might just cause dents,
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but if the bird is large enough
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and is ingested into an engine,
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that can cause serious failure
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like the Miracle on the Hudson.
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Training specifically for us took
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about a year, year and a half.
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So, the way that we've trained is that
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anytime I deploy Piper out of the truck,
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he doesn't just run away from the truck,
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he always runs the direction we were traveling.
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A lot of times I deploy him when the vehicle is moving,
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so that's just the way that we trained.
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A lot of times I try to get him to see
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what it is he's gonna chase first.
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The goggles, or the Rec Specs, serve two purposes for him.
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One, they're UV protectant so they protect his eyes,
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and number two, they're safety goggles, basically.
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It's one of those things that if he wants to
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go out and work or have fun, he's gotta wear it.
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Yeah, good boy!
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Go get 'em, buddy! Go get em!
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Dogs are really useful for wildlife control
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because specifically Border Collies, it's in their blood.
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Eventually, the goal is to train the birds
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and other animals that they don't wanna be here
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because there's a predator in town,
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something that's gonna keep harassing them all the time.
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Piper's been with me at the airport for almost three years.
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He's pretty much with me all the time.
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I don't think Piper sees it as work,
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I think it's all play to him, which is what we want, right?
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The best thing personally with Piper,
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and it's been this way before we started working,
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he's got a mind of his own.
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I talk to him like I would talk to anybody else.
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He's my bro.
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Does it get any better than that?
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I get to work with my best friend every day,
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I'm extremely proud of him,
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I couldn't ask for anything more.
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(orchestral music)