That’s right, a new dog named Joker has moved into the neighborhood. He’s not just any dog, but a working dog. He works for Ohio Geese Control to humanely manage the number of friendly waterfowl in the Toledo area. And he loves it! Joker is one of Ohio Geese Control’s top employees; he has spent the last six years reducing Canada goose numbers at a golf course.  Now he’s putting his talent to work in Toledo.

Joker’s job is to work with his human partner, Amy Hurst, visiting clients’ properties up to three times a day, every day in the Toledo, Ohio area. Frequent visits ensure that geese don’t pollute the neighborhood or become aggressive towards people during nesting season. He will chase the geese, but never harm them. His presence makes geese believe that there is a predator on site. The geese will ignore barking and random chasing by other dogs, but they’ll relocate when they see a collie trained for this work.

People like to see a few geese on a pond; they can be attractive and fun to watch. But two geese can easily turn into two hundred, and with big birds come big problems. One Canada goose produces 1 or 2 pounds of droppings every day, and that leaves quite a mess. Goose droppings not only limit people’s use of the outdoors, but can also pose a health risk and alter the ecology of ponds.