In West Virginia where Yeager Airport is located, they will soon welcome a new crew in their team. What makes it unusual is that this new addition to their group is not an ordinary worker; he is Hercules, an 18-month-old dog of the Border Collie breed.
This extraordinary worker will also be tasked an extraordinary job — to run after animals such as birds to drive them away from the runway. Animals which frequently stay in an airport’s runway have been an ongoing issue for airports. This concern has not been raised in Yeager Airport but in other airports as well.
Airport officials would, of course, want to maintain a safe and danger-free environment for their patrons. They want to see to it that each flyer will have a remarkable experience upon using their facility. Because of this, Yeager Airport needs to find a way to ensure these danger-causing animals are driven away.
According to Yeager Airport’s Assistant Director named Nick Keller, these animals like birds and the likes may cause a serious accident if they continue to stay within the vicinity of the airport.
So the rest of the airport officials had a meeting, and they came up to the decision of hiring a dog to do the job. The dog’s main task is to serve as a hindrance for these animals to avoid staying in the airfield.
Nick said they are confident that hiring a dog to work for them will help in bringing down the rates of incidents caused by the collision with animals. He also added that what they need to ensure is that the dog will get the proper training required for them to be successful in their job.
According to reports, Yeager Airport has spent over $7500 to purchase Hercules. That is on top of the price they need to pay for his training. This just goes to show that for the convenience and safety of customers, it should not matter how much it costs the business.
Credits to Flyaway Geese
