We pretty much equate the nose to the grindstone life with us bipeds and possessors of opposable thumbs, but our four-legged friends have these canine careers locked down! There are so many incredibly talented pooches working hard, and hopefully playing hard too! 

The Bomb Sniffer 💣

NY

Daily News

You think your orientation week was rough? These dedicated doggos go through rigorous training from the time they are pup-sized. They learn subtle cues and distinct scents, and work their tails off to keep us safe. The hardest part of their job, however, does not lie with them – it’s on us not to pet them as we walk past these dedicated canine detectives just going about their hard day’s work!

The Search and Rescue Pup 🚁

Bug Out K9 Academy

Another life-saving job, these dogs work tirelessly to find people. They use their superior noses to lock in on human scent and follow the trail. Whether it’s sniffing through rubble, tracking off-track in the forest, or powering through the aftermath of avalanches, these dogs use either air-scenting (sniffing human skin cell particles in the air for general location) or trailing (tracking clues left by scent in a specific direction) to find people. Truly man’s best friend!

The Guide Dog 👀

Meet Sailor! He’s a sweet guide dog puppy being trained to help the blind.

These assistance dogs are loving companions specially trained to help visually impaired people navigate around obstacles, based on human direction and well-learned skills. With hearts (and noses!) of gold, these pups not only provide navigation assistance, they are constant best friends and companions.

The Therapy Dog 💕

not well@notHxlt

oh my god. my mom got my dog a school picture because he’s a therapy dog at her school

 

Similar to guide dogs in that they provide needed assistance to a human handler, these canines act as emotional support, providing comfort and love to those that need it. While not an assistance dog in the same manner as a guide dogs, these friends are trained to provide affection and be a source of calm for their owners, greatly helping out people with anxiety, autism, etc. 

The Herder 🐑

Spot the cute doggie! Ok, so we know this dog is failing at herding, but he was too cute not to include!

These working dogs are precious members of the team for farms and ranches (think Fly in Babe!) Able to respond to whistles and short commands, these athletic and intelligent dogs have a skill that cannot quite be replicated by man or technology in moving large numbers of livestock across fields, into pens, and in very specific directions. Most commonly these dogs are of the Collie family, heelers, and even corgis!

The Actor 🎥

Not for the camera shy!

Ah, the good old celebripup! There is no shortage of stories involving, many times integrally, dogs, and, since canines are naturally easy to train, willing, and intelligent, there will always be room for thespian pups. Whether stars of film or TV, or easily recognizable from commercials (hello, Gidget, the Taco Bell Chihuahua,) or even specialized as stunt dogs (hello, the team of jumping Jack Russells behind Wishbone,) this is surely a charmed life for the working dog.

The Sled Dogs ❄️

Mush, mush!

Important not only in famous competitions like the Iditarod (of Balto fame,) sled dogs also provide a much needed source of transportation across frigid and snowy arctic environments. Helping exploration expeditions, delivering medicines and packages, and just plain racing in tests of athleticism and endurance, these winter working dogs have been vital, productive members of society.

While our own dogs chew on expensive treats, chill on cushioned beds, and beg for bites of pizza, it’s pretty cool to remember all the pups out there who are killing the 9-5 game, and working just as hard as us!