CANMORE – Alberta just got a few more paws on the ground in the fight against invasive mussels.
Expanding efforts to stop the invasive aquatic species from spreading into Alberta’s lakes and rivers, the province has added two new dogs to its conservation K9 unit, joining the Canmore based veteran team of 12-year-old pup Hilo and handler Cindy Sawchuk.
“Now we’ll have even more sniffing power at our watercraft inspection stations and our shorelines across Alberta,” said Sawchuk, lead of the conservation K9 unit for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.
Welcoming dogs Jane and Winnie, the team now consists of three canines – the most the program has seen – who are specially trained to sniff out invasive mussels like zebra and quagga that could be hitching a ride on watercraft entering the province.
“The expansion of this program comes at an important time,” said Grant Hunter, minister of environment and protected areas.
“While Alberta remains invasive mussel free, we have already intercepted six watercraft carrying invasive mussels this year before they could enter our waterways.”
The new K9 addition comes alongside a record 12 inspection stations and one roaming station, including one in Kananaskis Country, that the province opened this season.
Anyone entering Alberta with a watercraft is required to stop at a station for inspection from May 1 to Sept. 30.
“Every inspection represents a potential invasion prevented and significant environmental and economic damage avoided,” said Hunter, noting that the most common occurrence of invasive mussels are coming from eastern Canada.
Living 24/7 with their handlers, the dogs, who receive training through the U.S. based non-profit Working Dogs for Conservation, are dispersed around the province where their keen sense of smell helps officers check “hidden and hard-to-inspect areas” on watercraft.
If a scent is picked up, the dogs are trained to sit and wait for confirmation from their handler. They are then rewarded with a toy that they don’t normally get to play with.
Working with handler Rachel Morris, black lab Winnie, who was rescued as a stray in Kansas, will be stationed at the Burmis and Medicine Hat watercraft stations while Jane, alongside handler Matteo Calloni, will be based at the Jumpingpound station, west of Calgary.
“We named Winnie after Lake Winnipeg, and that is an ode to our partners in Manitoba who have done incredible work to contain the zebra mussel infestation there,” Sawchuk added.
While the current team is all either full or part labrador retriever, Sawchuk says that what makes a good sniffer dog doesn’t come down to the breed.
“It’s all about toy drive when it comes to selecting detection dogs. They’re basically high energy, really good ability to remain focused and obsessed with toys,” she said.
“Pretty much less than one in 1,000 dogs has what it takes to make a conservation detection dog.”
Potential damage caused by mussels ‘immeasurable’
The spread of invasive mussels into the province would cause “devastation” to infrastructure, irrigation and the environment, says Hunter.
“We’re committed to it. Whatever the cost is, we’re going to make sure that we put the money into it,” he said, noting the province has spent about $ 10 million so far this year to fund the stations.
According to the Alberta government, about 70 per cent of Canada’s irrigation lands are in Alberta and there are around 8,000 kilometres of canals and pipelines that connect reservoirs to crops.
“If these mussels got into these interconnected systems and lakes, that’s affecting our drinking water downstream, municipalities, our recreation opportunities because they’re gonna just start to clog and reproduce,” said Sawchuk.
“The damage that these mussels could cause in Alberta, it’s really immeasurable.”
In Alberta, the fine for not stopping at an inspection station is $4,200 and $600 for failing to remove a drain plug when transporting a boat.
Hunter says about 14 tickets have been issued this season so far.
If the nearest inspection station is closed, anyone travelling with a motorized or non-motorized boat must get an inspection within seven days of launching onto a river, lake, reservoir or pond in Alberta.
“Our message to every boater is simple: clean, drain, and dry your watercraft every time you leave the water, and always stop at an open watercraft inspection station when entering Alberta,” said Hunter.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 11, 2026 at 08:22
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