![]() He is my dog, I trained him, and I bring him into work everyday. “Piper is unique because he is a volunteer. The training and maintenance of these dogs can be expensive-sometimes costing over $15,000,” Edwards explained. “For many, using K-9s for wildlife mitigation makes airports question whether or not they are getting their money’s worth. #airportk9 #airport #k9 #k9team #k9storm #aviation #sunrise #daybreak #deepthoughts #bordercollie #bordercolliesofinstagram #proudbordercollies #dog #dogsoffreedom #dogsofinstagram #workingdog #workingdogsofig #traversecity #puremichigan #Michigan #puremittigan #awesomemitten #michiganawesome A photo posted by K-9 Piper on at 4:22pm PSTĪs Edwards explains, not all airports can use dogs like Piper. We use tons and tons every year to increase friction. PS - The stuff you see on the ground is masonry sand. I know I'm slightly biased, but there's something special about this guy. Here he is on a perfectly still winter's morn during a taxiway inspection. Eyes closed, he breaths deep and just listens. Piper often likes to randomly stop and enter deep thought. So as soon as the birds are in the air, Piper will leave it be and move onto something else.”Īccording to the praise continues to flow in. They are sheep herding dogs who can be used in a similar way for birds. But it wasn’t difficult to train Piper border collies are bred for this. “And honestly,” he added, “I never thought the airport director would go for it. We get to do some problem-solving, and I get to watch Piper learn to think and act for himself.”Īs part of the Wildlife Hazard Management Plan, Piper’s work is supplemented by sirens, pyrotechnics, and other technologies to keep birds away from aircraft.Įdwards says he trained Piper for the job after reading about the effectiveness of dogs for wildlife control at airports. “And in all this I consider myself so lucky, because I get to bring my best friend into work everyday and work in the field together. “Working with Piper morphed itself into something bigger than I could have ever predicted,” said Edwards. He says he never imagined that he and Piper would get so much media attention. Michigan Radio had the chance to speak with Piper’s owner, Brian Edwards, an operations supervisor at the airport, about Piper’s role as the Cherry Capital Airport K-9. People left comments like, “Yet another dog that is cooler than me,” and “The retrieving mission was a success. ![]() Eye Pro: Ear Pro: Mutt Muffs Vest: Helicopter: Soundtrack: Sonic #airportk9 #airport #k9 #k9team #k9storm #rexspecsk9 #muttmuffs #badass #aviation #helicopter #uscg #coastguard #military #training #winter #snow #dog #dogsoffreedom #dogsofinstagram #bordercollie #bordercolliesofinstagram #proudbordercollies #workingdog #workingdogsofig #traversecity #puremichigan A video posted by K-9 Piper on at 5:53pm PSTĪ GIF of Piper, shown in the Instagram post above, sitting courageously on the airport runway garnered the attention of over 3 million people on Reddit this weekend. K-9 Piper: 'The Student' - watch the full video on our Facebook or YouTube pages. Here he learns to deal with snowy rotor wash from #airstatvc. The greatest thing you can do is keep your mind young.' - Mark Twain Piper is a student of his craft, constantly learning. 'Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty.
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