Weed sniffing dogs return to Snake River

JACKSON (WNE) – For a sixth consecutive summer, two dogs trained to sniff invasive species are taking up residency on the gravel bars and islands of the Snake River to uncover invasive weeds like saltcedar and perennial pepperweed in our midst.

The dogs, hailing from Missoula, Montana, are visiting town through a partnership between Working Dogs for Conservation, Teton County Weed and Pest District and the Jackson Hole Weed Management Association.

They are trained to smell invasive species and uncover weeds that human crews cannot detect. This summer, they will be scouring the section from Moose to Wilson from now to Sept. 2, rafted between locales by volunteer rowers.

“It’s really wonderful to watch these dogs,” said Lesley Beckworth, landowner and outreach coordinator for Teton County Weed and Pest. “They’re so highly trained.”

The dogs and their handlers typically come in the last two weeks of August because the river is low and gravel bars are exposed.

The canines wear bells as they work so that their handlers can find them. When their bells stop ringing, it indicates that they have found something and stopped moving. After successfully finding weeds, dogs are rewarded with playtime.

Both weeds create monocultures — or dense stands of a single species — when allowed to run rampant.

Saltcedar is a thirsty plant and, when densely populated, consumes enough water to alter river systems, Beckworth said. It also makes soil saltier.

The dogs will continue visiting Jackson each year as long as detections continue.

This story was published on August 18, 2025.