#retrieval works

[reasonsforhope]

"Tilia is a vest-wearing conservation dog that the 444-acre [Mequon] nature preserve relies on for vital conservation and restoration work.

The dog’s responsibilities include sniffing out invasive and endangered species in the prairies, forests, and wetlands of Mequon.

Conservation dogs have become more commonplace in wildlife organizations, tapping into their astonishing scent-detecting abilities.

“Dogs in general already have up to 200 million olfactory sensors,” Cory Gritzmacher, the director of operations at the nature preserve, told Wisconsin Life.

Humans, on the other hand, have about 5 million.

“[Dogs are] already set up and designed for scent detection,” Gritzmacher added. “It’s really just finding a dog that’s motivated, that wants to do it on a regular basis and is excited to do it.”

Tilia was the pup for the job.

One of her main roles is to detect wild parsnip, an invasive species that staff removes once it is found on the property.

Compared to humans, Tilia can find parsnip in its first year, while it’s still close to the ground and camouflaged by other plants. This is vital, since parsnip will start to spread rapidly by the time it reaches its second season in the preserve. 

Studies show that the estimated damage caused by invasive species has cost the United States around $120 billion annually, as it impacts agriculture, recreational industries, and wildlife management. 

By catching invasive species that take hold of local flora and fauna early, Tilia achieves something no humans can.

“The best trained volunteers or staff in the world won’t even be able to find what a canine can,” Gritzmacher said. “That’s the pretty impressive part of it. And who doesn’t want to go to work with a dog?” ...

Tilia began training as a puppy, and now nearly seven years old, she’s a pro at scent detection — which all started with some treats hidden in cardboard boxes...

“As she continues to hit on the correct scent, then she gets rewarded. So, she’s going to get paid again. We do our work, we get paid. She does her work, she gets paid.”

Tilia can also spot Blue-Spotted and Easter Tiger Salamanders, which are endangered in the area. Her other scents include Wood Turtle and Garlic Mustard.

Of course, her workload remains balanced with time off. Her official owner is the director of Mequon Nature Preserve, who is happy to embrace her as the family dog when she’s not out sniffing.

But Gritzmacher, who trains and works alongside Tilia, adores her, not only for her companionship, but for the miracles she is able to work as an asset to Wisconsin’s conservationists.

“Canines are going to start to play a huge role in the conservation field just because of their amazing detection skills,” Gritzmacher said, “especially when resources are limited, staff is limited and you have to search potentially thousands of acres or miles.”

In fact, Tilia was joined by a partner in crime a few years ago: Timber, another chocolate lab who is actually the offspring of Tilia’s sister.

By following in her pawprints, Timber’s “powerful nose will be a key tool” in the preserve’s “land restoration efforts,” according to its website.

“For years, scientists have tried to replicate the power and efficiency of the canine nose,” Mequon Nature Preserve adds on a webpage for Tilia and Timber.

“The results keep coming back the same: The canine nose is second to none. Coupled with an insatiable desire to work and serve, Tilia and Timber help us find things humans often can’t.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, December 2, 2024

[jadewritesficshere]

Omega!Steve who is kinda nauseous and offhandedly mentions it to Robin. Which is fine as she reminds him of the stomach bug the kids had and he's suddenly concerned about making Robin sick (thinking about himself being sick doesn't even cross his mind).

Except, someone overhears it. Someone overhead that Steve was nauseous and spread that he was pregnant. Which gets spread around like wildfire. Poor single omega Steve pupped up.

Cue it being like 11pm at night and someone is frantically knocking on Steve's door. He's all bleary eyed and opens the door. Standing on the other side is Alpha Eddie with a bouquet of roses, a teddy bear, and a bag of what appears to be food.

Eddie who could not believe the audacity of some alpha who pupped Steve up and left. Steve!!! Its unconsciousable and if given the chance he would rip that alpha to shreds. So, of course, he's showing up. He's ready to step up to the plate.

[astrovvitches]

i think about fallen hero a lot... but it is the first time ive drawn fanart...

[clockworkreapers]

the himbo ever

[worstloki]

I actually think it would be so funny if Thor adapted to Midgardian clothing and such, wearing t-shirts and jeans and after Asgardians start settling on Earth that's generally what has to happen. But Loki keeps wearing his complicated leathery Asgardian clothing for the apparent sole purpose of jump-scaring any visitors to New Asgard

[dark-star-exe]

i find it funny how when you’re romancing Reth he’ll sometimes say “so you like bad boys?”

like??? is the bad boy in the room with us????

sorry to break it to you hun but you could not get any more golden retriever even if you went blond

[bakapandy]

Gaara

[darkwood-sleddog]

there's a recent dog trend online that goes "i trained my *insert dog breed of choice here* like a ~working dog~" and they're....training like a golden retriever in competitive obedience or bite sports or whatever. like way to tell the whole world that you have one definition of "working dog" (cough cough it's a sport).

golden retrievers were bred for a job. labradors were bred for a job. the world of dog "jobs" is not defined by malinois and gsd.

[ireallyneedaintrestinglife]

Look I don't know how many times I need to say this

Arthur is a golden cat

Merlin is a black dog

[vanillyechocolate]

e c l i p s e

Paring : our fav blonde golden retriever percy x bodacious black cat reader

prompt : ♡ “How about a rain check? For when? Never?”

You were exactly where Percy expected to find you—perched on the edge of the dock like you owned the lake, hoodie pulled over your head, shoes kicked off, legs dangling just above the water.

He cleared his throat behind you.

You didn’t turn around. “If you fall in again, I’m not dragging you out.”

“That was one time,” Percy said, stepping closer, still damp from gods-know-what.

You looked over your shoulder, unimpressed. “It was yesterday.”

“I was testing the depth. For science.”

You turned back toward the water. “Sure. And Leo didn’t light half the forest on fire ‘by accident.’”

Percy flopped down next to you with a dramatic sigh, arms behind his head like this was his totally chill plan all along. “Okay, hear me out. What if… fireworks, lake view, maybe some snacks—very romantic, very not-explosive this time?”

You gave him a side-eye. “You think that’s what I want?”

“I think it’s what I want,” he said, then blinked. “Wait—that sounded selfish. I mean, I want you to want it. I mean—” He groaned, face-palming. “I had a speech and everything.”

You stared at him.

“Okay, it was like, three sentences. But they were solid.”

He waited. You didn’t blink. Just a perfectly measured pause of silence.

Finally, he gave up. “How about a rain check?”

You tilted your head. “For when?”

He gave you the most pitiful, hopeful smile. “Never?”

You smirked, just a flicker, like a glitch in the matrix. “Bold move.”

“Bold enough to work?”

You stood up, brushing off your shorts. “Maybe.”

“Maybe yes?” he asked, already half-standing like a Labrador that just heard the treat bag rustle.

“Maybe I’ll be here tomorrow,” you said, not looking at him as you walked away. “If you bring snacks that aren’t soggy and keep the pyrotechnics under control.”

Percy called after you, grinning wide. “Done! Sealed! Sworn on the Styx!”

You raised a hand without turning around, voice lazy: “Swear on your ego, seaweed brain. That’s more fragile.”

He clutched his chest. “Cruel, but accurate!”

And as you disappeared toward your cabin, he swore he saw you smile—just a little.

☙ . ⁻ ᴹʸ ᵐᶦᵍʰᵗʸ ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶦˢᵗ

[rubybug]

puppy art for a pillow design 👀🐶🐾

[fluffytheocelot]

I’ve made a gif. Enjoy wolfy Carmen.

POV: Jules looked at her

[zaryathelaika]

Since laikas are considered natural retrievers on par [Russian, archived] with the best Deutsch Drahthaars and can start working as early as six months old [Russian, archived] with as little as 3 training sessions, here's some conventional wisdom from a magazine article [Russian, archived] in 1973 (machine-translated):

When hunting waterfowl and upland game with a [laika], as well as small fur-bearing animals, the most important commands performed by the dog should be considered the commands: “no”, “come to me”, “give”. These commands are used when accepting game from a dog after a shot. Therefore, when training, special attention must be paid to the execution of these commands. Compulsion to deliver [verbal] diarrhea with harsh intonations of the voice, and even more so painful coercion, is unacceptable. The hunter must quickly take the presented food from the dog’s mouth with his left hand, while at the same time giving the treats with his right hand. Dogs trained to hand-feed are always distinguished by their precise delivery. It is very important that the puppy is given not only a wooden or rag carrier, but also pieces of food that he can eat. It's done like this. An elongated crust of bread is thrown (such that the dog cannot swallow it right away) 2-3 meters away with the command “give it.” For completion, a [tasty] reward is given - cookies, sugar. A fresh boiled bone is thrown at a distance of 3-4 meters with the simultaneous command “give it”; for following the command the dog is given pieces of raw beef meat. When trained using this method - give something tasty, you will get something even tastier - the dog develops complete trust in its owner. With such training, the dog must be well-fed and must clearly follow the “no” command. On the command “no”, she should not only not touch the food, but should also stop eating (gnaw a bone, etc.). When a fresh boiled bone is served 2-3 times, the training is stopped and the dog is allowed to chew it in a calm environment. Practicing the execution of the commands “no”, “come to me”, “look”, “give” must be carried out systematically until the dog is one year old, complicating the situation, bringing it closer to practical hunting.

The ease of training is because Mansi and Khanty people use their Indigenous laikas as duck-dogs [archived]. There are famous lines of retrieving laikas in Moscow, Kyiv and other major cities.

Have any of your dogs ever bitten you? What were the circumstances, and how did you react?

I hope you don't mind the weird question. I like your philosophy about dog-keeping and how you handle your dogs (as best as I can tell from your social media posts). Asking as someone who was bitten by their dog for the first time today, for trying to take a high-value item away (stupid), and is feeling butthurt about it.

Yes, Conker was very resource aggressive when he was younger and there was a bit of a learning curve. Flint was as well, but I knew how to handle that better when I got him. I teach the dog it's ok for me to take stuff by trading. I start with lower value items and trade for something significantly better. A stick for a piece of chicken, until they will happily allow me to take the stick before they get their chicken. I gradually work up to higher value items, and it can take them a bit to give up the item depending on what it is. I will also give that item back after I have looked at it, so they learn that me taking/trading doesn't always mean they never get that thing they originally had. The dog needs to learn I'm not just going to steal from them, and especially that they will not get in trouble for having it. It shouldn't be something that they feel they need to hide from me because it will get them yelled at and their prize stolen. If the dog is a very young puppy, like Flint was, I do the trading game, but I will also hand feed high value items like a raw chicken leg, and they have to strip meat off it while I hold it. They can't just take the whole thing from me. Hand feeding can work with an adult too with various foods like kibble and ground or chunked raw, but it's a little trickier if food is the thing the dog is guardy over.

[poltergeist-punk]

some modern laios and chilchuk sketches heavily inspired by @prismatoxic’s fic promises to keep

[ozzgin]

May I ask for a request of a yandere with a willing darling? Like yandere watches his darling deal abusive family situation, shitty job, and then decides to just take her home like a stray cat so she doesn't have to go back to that.

But like, rather than panic as expected, darling is perfectly content to laze about, enjoying unlimited naps in sunlight, plenty of time to rest and recover. And occasionally darling will willingly give crumbs of physical affection after noting how surprised yandere was by how willing and calm she was about getting kidnapped. She's willing to play along with his game to keep her new life going.

Like a cat, she's okay giving physical affection if it's on her terms, and he is kinda cute after all 😉 He is happy to accept bare minimum for now while his new pet adjusts to her living situation, but there's always the future ☺️

I just now realized that I never actually added it to the masterlist 😭 But I have something very similar to what you're suggesting, here.

It's quite literally a parody of a yandere struggling to be a yandere because Reader is, well, too willing. It also follows along your idea of Reader struggling and therefore welcoming the yandere acts with open arms.

If you haven't already, you can check it out and let me know if it is close to what you had in mind! :)

[livwritesstuff]

Hiiii

I was rereading some of your stories again. And you said prevously that all of the girls are probably in in the queer community and I just thought it'd be really fun to see what type of people would all of the girls date.

I thought of something specificly about Hazel and it'd be really funny to see her dating someone whose kind of like Eddie when he was in his 20s. Like a cool metal head who has their own band and is absolutly a menace. And when thye have like their first official dinner with Hazels' dads, Eddie would mutter something along the lines of like father like daughter to Steve.

Anyway I'd love to hear you take on this. And also thank you so much for this little universe you've built❤️❤️

LOL yeah I definitely think Hazel’s first serious partner ends up turning into a whole circus of a situation because Steve and Eddie ended up being the last to find out. There's always been an inside joke in their family about Steve and Eddie dreading the potential of their daughters dating guys, so Robbie and Moe made a whole game out of intentionally not giving them all the information about Hazel's relationship just to make them sweat.

So when Hazel announces that ‘Riley’ will be coming home with her for Thanksgiving, this conversation between Moe, Robbie, and Steve transpires:

Steve, tiredly: Can one of you just tell me if Riley is a boy or a girl?

Moe: *Wow*

Robbie: Way to perpetuate the gender binary, Pop.

Robbie: What if they aren’t a boy or a girl?

Steve, not falling for her BS for a second: I *know* they’re a boy or a girl because if they weren’t you would have immediately told me their pronouns.

Steve: You’re doing this on purpose to torture me.

For the record, Riley is a girl. Riley has box-dyed red hair and she smells like patchouli and weed and she’s got a bright blue vape pen in the side pocket of her backpack and her entire outfit is two sizes too big all the way down to her shoes.

Riley dropped out of college to try getting a tattoo apprenticeship (hasn't panned out yet but "she's got a plan").

Riley says the second she steps through the doorway, “Fuck, Haze, your house is niiiiice.”

Riley tells a story at the dinner table about how she did shrooms in the woods last weekend.

All the while, Hazel has this dumb, fond smile on her face, and Eddie is horrified, and Steve spends the whole night on the verge of tears from how hard he’s trying not to laugh.

At the end of the night, when Steve and Eddie are alone in the privacy of their bedroom, Eddie is like, “Uh, so that’s gotta end, right?”

“Why?” Steve asks.

“What do you mean why? It’s Hazel, Steve, and–”

“My love,” Steve interrupts, “Do you not see it?"

"See what?"

"She's you. Riley is you when you were that age.”

And Eddie is totally dumbstruck.