All of the working canines are chosen from shelters in Montana for their rapt attention to the chew toy and a special kind of exuberance that doesn't always make them great pets, Hurt said.

"They're dogs that can't keep their eye off the ball."

After a minimum of 10 weeks training, the furry scent trackers can find specific animal signs, often identifying species whose habitat is difficult or endangered.

The dogs also find hard-to-identify plants and, in some cases, sea creatures.

LOCAL RESEARCH

Working with the Wildlife Conservation Society here in the Adirondacks, Wicket is one of the first dogs ever trained to seek moose signs.

Estimates put the Adirondack moose population somewhere between 300 and 500 individuals.

But those numbers are not based on any significant research, explained Conservation Society scientist Heidi Kretser.

Current methods are less precise or expensive, using camera traps or helicopters, said Conservation Society ecologist Michale Glennon of Saranac Lake.

And with Wicket's help, biologists hope to measure diet and nutrition of the moose population.

DNA studies will allow scientists to gauge reproductive rates and migration pattern.

That's a lot of detail to get from moose scat.

But benchmarks established now would also lend themselves to long-range research on impact from climate change and shifting weather patterns, Glennon said.

"Moose are a species that can change things in our landscape."

Working Dogs for Conservation is a developing program, Whitelaw said, drawing increased interest from the scientific community.