Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives on the Job

by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

A dog's nose is 300 times more powerful than a human nose, so it's no wonder that dogs use their incredibly advanced sense of smell to do some very important jobs. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent explores the various ways specific dogs have put their super sniffing ability to use: from bedbug sniffers to explosive detectors to life-saving allergy detectors . . . and more. This dynamic photo-essay includes first-hand accounts from the people who work closely with these amazing dogs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Middle Grade

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

As a child, my favorite activity was exploring nature, especially finding animals like frogs, toads, and lizards. I kept tropical fish, had a dog, and loved riding horses. My love of animals led to a Ph.D. degree from U.C. Berkley in Zoology. In grad school I met and married fellow student Greg Patent. Our two sons, David and Jason, were born before we finished school. I wanted to use my training and my knowledge, but I also wanted to raise my sons and be there for them when they needed me. I decided that writing the kind of books I'd always loved reading was a good solution to my dilemma, and that turned out to be true. One of my favorite things is learning new "stuff," and every time I tackle a new book project I get to indulge myself in that passion. I'm a lucky gal!

Fast forward to the present. Our sons are grown and have their own families. We live in Missoula, MT, where Greg is now a food writer (http://www.thebakingwizard.com) and a radio personality (httpp://www.mtpr.org--look for Food Guys). My writing has expanded to other nonfiction topics, especially ones dealing with the Westward Expansion period of U.S. history. I've taught writing classes in many venues, visited schools in most U.S. states, attended many conferences for teachers and librarians, won a number of awards, and had great travel adventures in pursuit of my subject matter.

Reviews

[Shari Vassello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting information about Dog Detectives!

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I paired Super Sniffers- Dog Detectives on the Job with Go Home Flash. Both of these books talk about dogs, and specifically their sense of smell. Super Sniffers goes into detail about different dogs and how their sense of smell can be used for things such as allergy alerts, help with law enforcement, and helping the environment. Go Home Flash is about a dog who sniffs his way to his owners work, then to a school. Both of these books are relatable to children, as many people have dogs at home. Super Sniffers has text features such as a table of contents, captions on each page, and a table of contents. A text connection I’d make with these two books would be to have students draw a picture of Flash the dog and write about what kind of things he could sniff. (Which are all explained in the non-fiction text.) This assignment could be used in writing, science, or social studies.

Paul, R. (2015). Go Home Flash. Naperville , IL: Sourcebooks.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative nonfiction title about working dogs. Colorful photos (all with explanatory captions) talk about the various dog breeds and what sort of sniffing work they do. The various sections explain the different jobs available, how such dogs are trained, and what their work is like. A good title for animal lovers.

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea that service dogs did so many different things! The 5 year old was equally fascinated and repulsed by the orca scat sniffing dog that helps marine biologists track whale movements. Who knew?

[Darius Billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that there are thirteen German Shepherds, five Aussies, and three Belgian Malinois in the book.

I learned that search-and-rescue dogs sniff people’s clothes to find them.

I love the dog that’s almost sniffing us on the cover!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a standard chapter book but it is divided into sections about different kinds of working dogs and what they do. It helps children understand that working dogs have a job to do.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These dogs make my two hounds look like slackers! They do sniff a great deal on walks but not for the benefit of mankind!

[Kati Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a more advanced book, with smaller words, but definitely a great book for kids who love animals and puppies (all kids). It was informative, and detailed. The photo illustrations were adorable

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives in the Job tells unbelievable accounts of (SSD) Specialized Search Dogs who selflessly locate bombs, drugs, and weapons. Author Dorothy Patent covers a lot of material on working dogs in 48 pages. Each double page spread describes a different dog career. Probably the most impressive careers covered are located the section on dogs that assist in medical problems for people such as cancer finder (these dogs can locate cancer through scent) diabetes, allergies, and Addison's disease. Patent clearly explains the diseases and how the service dogs effectively help their owners. The information is broken up in a variety of highlighted topics, making it more fun to read, however the bright backgrounds on all the pages compete and obscure the black and white pictures. This will be an inspiring read for dog lovers, and children who have experienced some of the difficulties these service dogs help them conquer.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

My five year old picked this one out at the library, and I read it to him. He enjoyed it and we learned a lot, even though he's definitely several years younger than the target audience. The text, balanced with photos and profiles of different working scent dogs, is appealing. The design of the pages makes it problematic to read it in poor reading conditions: text appears on bright red and yellow blocks often, and with my 40-something eyes I had to strain. However, my son is now telling me often about how dogs (and humans) have mazes of nasal tissue to pick up smells, so it made an impression. A good overview of the uses of trained scent working dogs, from military and police operations, search and resuce, sniffing out environmental contaminants, and even alerting their owners to dangerous allergens or disease symptoms (such as high or low blood sugar). Lots of variety here, and a delight for young dog lovers.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogs have amazing noses, and they put their noses to work in many different ways. Super Sniffers : Dog Detectives on the Job, in addition to portraying dogs that work in the military, law enforcement, and more, offers a chapter on medical alert dogs. These dogs have been trained to detect the odors of food allergens, blood sugar levels, onset of seizures, and even cancer. The book also explains why dogs’ noses are so powerful and how they are trained in their detection skills.

(Originally posted on http://mackinbooksinbloom.com/2014/06...)

[☆Amanda Cresse · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of information about a lot of different issues in Super Sniffers; it is much more than a book about the abilities of dogs to find a particular scent. I learned about avalanche rescues, endangered animals, invasive weeds, and medical conditions that can be monitored as well as detected by dogs.
The only negative comment I have: the brightness of the pages made the text difficult to read--causing my eyes to strain.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, especially the personal accounts of each dog pictured.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about dogs and their amazing ability to smell. It did feel a bit redundant at times but I think all those dog crazed kids will enjoy it.

[Cinthya Murguia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about how dogs are great with their noses. I may add that the book contains a lot of information and it is quite long to read. I like that it's very informational, but I think that young children wouldn't want to read it because it is very long. I don't think it would be a good read out loud book either because it would take a while to get through it. This would be a good book for older students perhaps in 4th or 5th grade. Other than that, it does contain great photographs and it's a great non-fiction book!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

We humans have come to trust the incredible sense of smell found in dogs. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, respected nonfiction author, has written Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives on the Job (Bloomsbury, September 2014) conveying the important work of canines and their noses. Within four chapters, forty-eight pages, we are consistently informed and constantly astonished at their abilities.


My full view: http://bit.ly/1zwOgG1

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bright and colorful picture book filled with fascinating accounts of how working dogs use their noses to help people. Some jobs are well known like search and rescue, and some are not as well known, but equally important, like locating contaminated water. An entertaining overview about some very impressive dogs.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Fascinating stories and pictures. This made my poor beagle look very, ahem, unaccomplished, but I loved learning about the amazing ways dogs make our world better and safer. Highly recommended. My only negative comment is that I hate having some of the pages on a red background. That made the text hard for me to read.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information and plenty of photos included in this fascinating look at all the different ways the talents of dog noses are put to use from detecting contaminated water to sniffing out diseases in humans. Any child who likes dogs will find this book interesting. Be sure to look at each doggie face.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find dogs to be amazing creatures! They are man's best friend after all. This book provides enough information to get a pretty good idea as to how dogs are extremely valuable and helpful to humans. Also, children love reading about dogs, fiction and nonfiction, so this book is a must for any library.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent informational text full of interesting information. It addresses many ways that dogs are used to aid humans in a variety of important jobs-- some of which will likely not be familiar to the reader. The pictures used to illustrate the book are adorable, and the topic is one that most kids will relate to and take an interest in.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each two page spread covers a different type of job for dogs, from military to allergy, to environmental. Plenty of pictures and features of specific dogs for dog lovers to appreciate. Informative and not to lengthy- perfect for third and fourth graders.

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

bookaday #99. Excellent overview of various kinds of sniffer dogs, from the well known drugs and explosives alerts to those whose noses detect environmental hazards and allergens. Excellent photos, including the border collie close up on the cover.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, accessible, fascinating! I confess to a weakness for working dogs, but this book goes above and beyond the standard jobs that dogs have typically fulfilled to include new jobs in medicine and environmental science. The balance of text and image is just right!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amazing, life-saving things dogs can do with their superior smelling abilities. Attractively designed and abundantly illustrated with color photographs. For older readers, see Nancy Castaldo's Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (and Their Noses) Save the World (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to really like this book, but it was too text-dense. I found myself forcing myself to read the chunks of text--not a good sign--there was just SO MUCH info there. I couldn't wade through it all!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shares information about many kinds of service dogs and explains why they are so adept at their work. There are additional resources listed at the end for further reading that will assist student researchers.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Describes the different ways dogs' sensitive noses are put to work for good use, including military, ecological conservation, and medical. Lots of color photos of dogs in action will please dog lovers. Dogs are amazing, what can I say!

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to how dogs can be of service through their super sense of smell.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating stories about the various ways that dogs are used to detect things with their noses - from nuts to cancer! Children will love the photographs and the variety of dogs represented.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice with excellent photographs that enhance the text. Great information for a young reader. No dog lover will be able to resist.