Back in 2023, a six-year-old black lab named Vespa set an impressive achievement in keeping Australian agriculture safe!
Vespa is a sniffer dog who works at the Sydney International Airport and the Australia Post Sydney Gateway Facility. She uses her powerful snoot to sniff out biosecurity risks such as khapra beetles, African swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease.
Last year, she made over 730 interceptions at the airport and over 570 at the post office. Her airport detections were the most by any biosecurity sniffer dog.
This year Vespa was awarded the 2024 New South Wales Service Dog Award at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for her hard work.
The Royal Ag Society of NSW awards amazing dogs who make a difference in their community with their Canine Hero awards.
Perrie Carrett, Vespa’s handler, stated, “I’m very proud of her and all the things that she’s achieved and I’m sure she’ll continue to go on to sniff out more risk materials.”
“They’re such a diverse tool for us. They have the ability to be mobile, and they can detect things that many of our other systems, don’t have the reach for,” she went on to add.
Story via Bridget Murphy, David Claughton, and Jesmine Cheong with ABC Rural
