real drive for what he is doing,” explained Rye. The company plans to introduce him into a variety of situations this spring where he will supplement the efforts of the leak detection crews. Gauge will have the same range as Rye’s existing array of water loss services as he is used to car travel and is a trained service dog with public access. “Because of his public access training, Gauge can enter public buildings, hotels, airports, and other areas with his handler. This will make trav- eling hours from home and staying out of town for water loss projects very practical,” said Rye. We can easily take him all over Tennessee and the surrounding states by car and to farther jobs by airplane if needed,” she explained. So why do all of this when there are already proven methods of water loss control? “The water loss industry is relatively young in the United States and it is developing rapidly and continually evolving. As practitioners, we have a duty to explore the latest technologies and methods as they be- come available. The introduction of canine leak detection into the industry is truly one of the most exciting and potentially satisfy- ing developments that I have encountered since we’ve been in business,” said Seth Rye. Rye also believes that dogs can fill an important void that to date even the most sophisticated leak detection technologies have struggled with, leak detection on PVC water mains. “We train the dogs to detect by smell. A dog’s nose is so much more pow- erful than its ears,” explains Carrie Kessler of On the Nose. Since PVC water mains do not conduct sound very effectively, Rye believes that a new approach using scent is very promising to the industry. For now, Gauge is so happy to do the job he was born for. His people believed in him and believed that his special nose knows how to help save our most precious natural resources. He can’t wait to get to work for you. For more on dogs preventing water loss, see our article about Vessel.
On a mission: Gauge Rye with handler, Pam Rye, search for leaks during a training exercise in Gauge’s first week in Tennessee.
On the Hunt: Tracy Owen, public access trainer with On the Nose, sharpens Gauge’s skills during a leak detection training session in January prior to his delivery to Tennessee.
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April 2021
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