Working Dogs

A member of Thailand's Humanitarian Mine Action Unit uses a mine-detecting dog to search for land mines in a village east of Bangkok. Mine-detecting dogs are trained—against their instincts—to walk in straight lines while searching. They can usually smell things situated four inches underground, but they can be taught to smell objects at even greater depths. With their ultra-sensitive noses, dogs have proven among the most effective tools for mine detection and have helped to prevent thousands of injuries and deaths in war-torn countries around the world.