Piper may be a dog but he has a job and a cool one at that. To get ready for work, he has to don the coolest outfit that a dog could ever wear.
Piper, a Border Collie, ensures the safety of all passengers at Cherry Capital Airport. His job is to remove any birds, ducks, rats, and other small animals from the airport.
The dog checks the area throughout the day for any wildlife. These little creatures can cause aircraft mishaps and risk passengers’ lives.
In addition to chasing away wildlife, Piper performs a variety of other odd activities. He also conducts perimeter patrols. He searches the fences for animal holes that could be used by creatures to go to the runway. Piper can astonishingly know the difference between old holes and fresh holes.
Piper is also the Chief Morale Officer, and he has the enormous task of enhancing the airport’s security. His presence makes employees, guests, and tenants quite happy each time they see him.
According to Piper’s trainers, he is a natural at what he does. Border Collies are natural herders so Piper needed relatively minor obedience training and off-leash control training. The remainder of his duties were learned on the job.
Because of his exposure to the weather, Piper required specialized gear. He uses goggles to shield his eyes from sunlight and small debris that aircraft and helicopters can kick up. Additionally, he wore specialized earmuffs to protect his sensitive hearing from the aircrafts’ noise.
Piper has bespoke boots to protect his feet from rocks, the heat of the street, and the icy cold during the winter. The dog also has an impressive-looking aerial insertion vest with a tracking ID harness. This can easily allow Piper to be attached to a harness should it be needed. It also allows for easy recognition of Piper in different weather and lighting.
Source: ABC News