Recently a friend shared with me an article on K9 Artifacts Finders, whose mission is to train dogs to find looted artifacts in order to help customs officers stop the illegal smuggling of cultural property from archaeological sites, museums, libraries, archives, and other locations.  Red Arch Cultural Law and Policy Research is teaming up with Penn Vet Working Dog Center and the Penn Museum for this radical new approach to protect humanity’s rich culture and history through scent imprinting and odor recognition in specially trained dogs.  Well look no further, Indiana Chuck Billy is the right dog for the job!  K9 Artifact Finders is the perfect opportunity for me to expand my adventures while simultaneously saving the world’s priceless artifacts.

Just like the real Indiana Jones, I’m witty, well-versed in ancient civilizations, with a thirst for adventure, not to mention ruggedly handsome.  As a puppy I was certified by the National Association of Canine Scent Work in not one but three scents.  Ok, so those scents are birch, anise, and clove, which probably aren’t the ones being used by this study.  Instead they are focusing on scents from the Fertile Crescent region in modern-day Iraq, which is historically rich in artifacts and a prime target for cultural heritage looters.  But I’m sure I can learn to recognize new scents with my powerful nose.  Besides, this sounds so much more exciting than traditional nose work competitions, where Dad and I got really bored waiting for our turn.  Rather than competing for awards, K9 Artifact Finders will be helping museums around the world while raising the public’s awareness of the widespread plunder and destruction of archaeological, historical, and religious treasures.

In addition, this project will be using dogs who have the mental and physical capacity to perform the precise detection work needed.  Well again, look no further than Indiana Chuck Billy!  Every dog fancies himself to be an archeologist digging for treasures, but it takes a deep knowledge of ancient civilizations to truly sniff out these ill-gotten antiquities.  Not to brag, but I’ve personally watched every Indiana Jones movie, not to mention all 12 seasons of Ancient Aliens.  Ok, I may have napped through a few, but I’ve watched way more documentaries on ancient history than most dogs!  As for physical capacity, hunting down artifacts is a natural extension of my current adventures.  Why not add saving the world’s treasures to my already impressive list of accomplishments?  Just as long as snakes won’t be involved.  Because like the real Indiana Jones, I detest snakes, and that would be a real deal breaker for me.

Now in it’s early stages, K9 Artifacts Finders are focused on the preliminary phases of establishing this unprecedented approach to catching antiquities traffickers with the help of working dogs, by raising the necessary funds to carry out their research and training.  To learn more about the K9 Artifacts Finders project, please visit RedArchResearch.org.  In the meantime, I’m going to wear this awesome hat while practicing using my dog leash as a bullwhip for my upcoming adventures!