Who are the tartadogs, the dogs that help us protect turtles

They are called tartadogs and they are dogs trained to identify and secure the nests of sea turtles on our coasts

• An initiative that celebrates the symbiosis between man and dog for the protection of the environment.
• Tartadogs are dogs trained to locate and secure sea turtle nests.
• The project was born from a partnership between Legambiente and Enci (Italian national dog breeding body).

They call them tartadogs (literally "turtle dogs") and are the new frontier of the practical use of dogs in safeguarding and defending the environment and the species that populate it.Starting from this summer - and more precisely from the end of June - on the beaches of Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and those of Puglia and Calabria, we will be able to see these four-legged animals at work with their human companions, busy identifying the nests of sea turtles , which will then be made safe, thus allowing the newborns to be protected and their survival guaranteed.

Tartadogs in action

Tartadogs' activity is financed by the European Union through the programme Life and coordinated and designed by Legambiente and fromEnci (Italian national dog breeding body), with the aim of improving the conservation of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) in Italy, Spain and France, through monitoring activities, nest safety, scientific research and information and awareness campaigns.This is a real one unique at a European level, which sees a precedent only in a single experiment carried out in the United States.The American initiative took place in Florida, with the help of a single dog trained precisely for this type of activity.

In Italy, therefore, the tartadogs not only operate for the first time on national soil, but they also do so on a global level with this sole exception.The team is made up of four dogs – specifically two labrador, one springer spaniel and a Dutch shepherd – accompanied by relevant conductors.The specimens were selected with very rigorous criteria and underwent specific and regular training together with their human companions for several months.

Animal welfare in the foreground

At this point, however, a doubt spontaneously arises:Will the dogs involved in this project be subject to stress, fatigue and tests that could undermine their health given that they will act under the sun and in conditions that could prove unsuitable?In this respect the organizers are lapidary.The well-being of the tartadogs will always be guaranteed and constitutes one of the main aspects of the project.The dog units, in fact, will only work in the very first hours of the day, when the temperatures are still mild and suitable for research.Furthermore, the activity modes are all based on the game between handler and dog and will also become the starting point for fun and rewarding actions for the four-legged friends involved.During the season, Legambiente and Enci will observe the teams in action, collecting data and information, and then confirming or possibly modifying the protocol guidelines.Finally, from this experimentation, a publication dedicated to the training of dog units in identifying sea turtle nests will be produced.A way, therefore, to guarantee environmental biodiversity and establish new parameters for understanding and using the old and fundamental bond between humans and dogs.