SEATTLE — One of the San Juan Island’s biggest celebrities walks on four legs and has a nose that knows.
Eba the Whale Dog is a conservation canine whose job is sniffing out scat from endangered orcas.
"She's a trained scent detection dog,” said Dr. Deborah Giles, who’s also Eba’s owner.
Eba is so easy-going and comfortable aboard boats, it’s hard to believe she was born in a landlocked town and dumped by a human who didn't care.
"My sister actually found her wandering the streets of Sacramento,” said Dr. Giles, who ultimately adopted her and brought her to the upper left.
The mixed breed rat terrier was meant to be a companion pet, but Dr. Giles’ work with non-profit Wild Orca helped reveal the rescue dog’s hidden gift: her olfactory senses.
When Eba is on the water, she can pick up the scent of whale scat. In layman's terms, she's trained to locate orca poop.
"Dinner plate size down to literally the size of your pinky nail, and she can still find it,” Dr. Giles said.
Researchers then collect the samples and use them to track the health of the remaining southern resident killer whales.
"They get shipped to our lab at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance where they analyze those for stress hormones, nutrition hormones, pregnancy hormones,” Giles said. "So many things can be analyzed just by looking at one scat sample."
It's also a non-invasive way to do research. Eba's sense of smell is so powerful, the boat never needs to get close to the whales.
For Dr. Giles, the work isn’t just science. It also involves reverence. On Eba’s collar, a bright yellow bow represents the bigger picture.
"This is actually a piece of a wetsuit that was the favorite toy for Tokitae,” Dr. Giles said. "And so we keep that close and remember that everything we're trying to do is save her family."
Eba’s abilities have turned her into a bit of a celebrity. She’s been featured on PBS and the BBC, twice.
"Our joke is that she's a Disney Princess - she was (also) on Disney+ for 'It's a Dog's Life,’" Dr. Giles said.
But Eba doesn’t realize the gravity of it all. She's in it for fun. The reward for sniffing out scat is a toy, and quality time with her people.
"She's just such a lovely being,” Dr. Giles said. "Literally people's faces light up when they see her and she just has that way of bringing out joy in people."
A stray puppy, found - helping save another species before they're lost.
If you would like to support Wild Orca’s mission, donations can be made online.
Eba will appear at the Seattle Boat Show inside Lumen Field Event Center on Thursday, February 8th starting at 3 p.m.
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