A dog’s sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than that of a human being. So-called cadaver dogs, for example (working dogs trained to detect human remains), can even locate a drowned victim whose body is still underwater. They do it by scenting the gases produced by the decomposing body, which rise to the surface.
Keena is a different type of water dog, among the first anywhere in her line of work. The 5-year-old Belgian Malinois (pronounced MAL-in-wah) has been trained to detect underground water leaks — specifically, she smells the chlorine found in public water supplies and can detect as little as a half of one part per million. She and her owner/handler, Zach Lohr, work for Del-Co Water Company, a member-owned water cooperative serving 130,000 residents in eight central Ohio counties.
Keena is a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois (pronounced MAL-in-wah) has been trained to detect underground water leaks — specifically, she smells the chlorine found in public water supplies and can detect as little as a half of one part per million.
“The first water-detection dog in the U.S. began working in Arkansas several years ago,” said Lohr. “That K-9 program proved so successful, and now there are a dozen or more such dogs scattered throughout the country.”
Before beginning work at Del-Co, Keena and Lohr underwent an intensive 12-week training program developed by Storm Dog Tactical in Sunbury. According to Lohr, the most popular breed of working dog in America has been changing in recent years, from the German shepherd to the Belgian Malinois. He believes that the Malinois is the perfect package because of its drive, trainability, and retention of training knowledge.
“But where the Malinois really outshines the shepherd is in their years of work longevity,” Lohr says. “For example, Keena weighs a lean 64 pounds and is expected to have a working lifespan of 8 to 10 years. Being a much heavier dog, a German shepherd’s realistic working life could be significantly shorter due to health issues.”
Lohr describes Keena as intense and always wanting to work — which is typical of the breed. “Her favorite time of day is morning, because she knows we’re soon going to look for water leaks,” Lohr said. “She’ll gobble her breakfast, then immediately go sit by the front door to wait for me.”
Keena is trained to “indicate,” meaning to show Lohr where she detects the odor of chlorine, simply by stopping her movement.
“She is so active, naturally always in motion, that when she lies down, sits, or simply stops and looks up at me, essentially she’s saying, ‘It’s here, Boss, right under my nose!’” Lohr then calls in the repair crews.
During her first two years of service, Keena has saved Del-Co untold thousands of dollars in labor costs that used to ring up when repairmen sometimes had to spend countless hours searching for the precise location of a leak in a transmission line to know where to dig. Individual homeowners, Del-Co customers, have benefited, too.
“Keena has identified more than 50 water leaks on private property, which our customers really appreciate, because it saves them money,” Lohr said. “One customer even dubbed Keena ‘the million-dollar dog.’ Keena and I have also assisted a few other municipal water companies in Ohio. I see our job as not just locating leaks, but conserving water.”
Lohr is also one of four licensed drone pilots for Del-Co who search for underground leaks from the air using infrared/thermal technology.
Though he admits his job at times is fun, for him it has a much deeper meaning.
“I’m a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and I lost three close buddies in Afghanistan who were all K-9 handlers,” he says. “When I got out of the Marine Corps, I wanted to continue what my friends had been doing as a way to honor and remember them. As a result, service-dog work has since become my passion. I love it — and Keena seems to as well.”
