Your pup may think he’s protecting his humans by chasing away any birds that dare venture into your backyard — but (no offense to him) two canines in West Virginia are actually keeping people safe while performing the same task. Border collies Hercules and Ned serve as team members at the West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston. Their primary objective? To chase away animals that could collide with aircraft.
Per the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, birds and other wildlife strikes cause over $900 million in damage to civil and military aircraft each year. These collisions can also be fatal: Since 1988, more than 250 people have been killed globally because of them. Together with their handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, Chris Keyser, Hercules and Ned help reduce the chances of these dangerous instances occurring.
As Keyser told the Associated Press, the duo drives off deer, geese, starlings, killdeer, and other critters during regularly scheduled rounds, or after Keyser receives communication from airport traffic control towers regarding any wildlife near the taxiways.
The collies’ instinct is to only herd — but the creatures that are being chased away don’t know that. “In the mind of the bird, they’re no different than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” said Rebecca Gibson, owner of Flyaway Geese, the company that trained the pups.
The airport purchased Hercules back in 2018, and Ned in 2024. While both were originally taught to chase goats, the pups received in-depth instruction at Flyaway Geese, an organization that trains border collies to humanely move unwanted wildlife. When Gibson watched Hercules walk onto the airfield for the first time, she held her breath. “But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place,” she told the AP. “He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”
Since then, the pair have become local celebrities, complete with their own Instagram account and, for Hercules, a starring role in a children’s book. They’ve also taken on side jobs in between chases and naps in Keyser’s lap, comforting travelers in the airport and making appearances at school tours and community events. They dress up for Halloween and Christmas, don flight goggles for photo shoots — and of course, are able to give a good “shake” on request.
All of these moments punctuate their fairly rigorous schedule, which starts around 6 a.m. and ends at about 10 p.m., Keyser shared with USA Today. On any given day, Hercules and Ned run up to six miles, even in rain and soft snow. “It’s an all-day job when it’s raining,” Keyser said. “It’s a tough job.”
But for Keyser, who’s always loved dogs, the long days are worth it. “I like making a difference here at the airport, keeping people safe who are flying in and out of here — and especially when somebody’s in a terminal and might be sad — or just putting a smile on everybody’s face,” he said. “It makes me feel good, and it makes these dogs feel good too, because it makes them feel special.”
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