K9 Water Leak Detection

08/23/2026

Only a few weeks left to sign up!

Ever wondered what it looks like when detection dogs, acoustic technology, mapping, and utility expertise all come together on the same leak investigation?

That’s exactly what we’ll be exploring at the 2026 K9PDA Water Infrastructure Innovation Workshop.

Come learn, ask questions, and see how these different tools can work together in the field.

Learn more and register here:

Finding the Invisible: A Case-Study Approach to Water Leak Detection

08/18/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about K9 Water Leak Detection is that the dog simply follows odor until they’re standing directly over the leak. Odor doesn’t work that neatly.

When treated water escapes from a buried pipe, the odor available to the dog can move through soil, cracks, utility pathways, drainage systems, pavement seams, and other features of the environment. Where odor is accessible to the dog isn’t necessarily directly above where the pipe is leaking. That’s where the handler comes in.

We’re watching how the dog works the entire search area: where they first encounter odor, where they lose it, where they pick it back up, how they move through an area, and where their behavior changes. A canine search gives us information. Instead of trying to investigate an entire property, roadway, or utility corridor equally, we can use the dog’s behavior throughout the search to identify areas that warrant closer investigation.

The dog’s nose is an incredibly sensitive detection tool, but the dog is only half of the team. Knowing how to read and interpret what the dog is communicating throughout the search is just as important.

Want to learn more about K9 Water Leak Detection? Visit vickeryk9.com/detection

08/17/2026

08/14/2026

A great conversation on the growing role of K9 Water Leak Detection and the importance of professional standards and credentialing as this field continues to develop. Looking forward to Part 2!

The certification isn't about proving that the dog can find a leak. It's about giving utilities confidence that the professional team can perform consistently, safely, ethically, and competently.

Lo**ta Shaffer joins our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, in this two-part conversation to talk all things water leak detection!

It’s a growing niche in the dog training world, but a pretty important one. After all, America's water utilities maintain 2.2 million miles of drinking-water pipe, enough to circle the globe 88 times, and industry estimates put coming rate hikes sharply higher as aging, "non-revenue" leaks go unfound.

Acoustic listening equipment, the current industry standard, can hear a hissing pipe but also every earthworm, bug, and passing car, leaving handlers to triangulate blind. Dogs, calibrated on-site to a utility's own water before every job, can generalize across leaks ranging from a quarter-gallon a minute to tens of thousands, including one Florida job under an interstate that was gushing 70,000 gallons a minute.

Lo**ta traces her own path into the work back to hunting-dog trials and a sister already doing human remains detection. It’s a lineage that Robin, coming from cadaver-dog work herself, recognizes immediately in how hydrology carries odor whether the "victim" is a body or a busted water main.

Lo**ta is working to build credentialing that treats handler-and-dog teams the way plumbers or engineers are licensed, and is portable across state lines. She has a five-year goal of turning "detection dog" into a real, benefits-earning career. Stay tuned for the next episode of K9 Detection Collaborative, which will be part two of the conversation!

https://www.k9pda.org/

08/07/2026

08/05/2026

One of the questions we hear most often is, “Can detection dogs find leaks under concrete or asphalt?”

The answer is yes. Trained K9 Water Leak Detection teams detect the odor associated with treated water. That odor moves to the surface, even when the leak is beneath concrete or asphalt.

Every leak is different, but concrete and asphalt alone do not prevent a trained K9 Water Leak Detection team from doing its job.

Bravo to newly certified K9 Lux and her handler, Jennifer Shepherd, on this fantastic work! K9 Lux and Jennifer for K&J Plumbing & HVAC Services in Oklahoma.

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Featured Team: K9 Lux & Jennifer Shepherd, K&J Plumbing & HVAC
Footage: K9 Pipeline Detection Association
Video/Educational Content: Meghan Bodie, Vickery K9

08/05/2026

Great example from our friends at DDA Detection Services of K9 Water Leak Detection in action!

08/04/2026

Utilities across the country are discovering how K9 Water Leak Detection can support smarter leak investigations.

On August 12th one of our certified K9 Water Leak Detection teams will be exhibiting at The Water Tower's National Backflow Prevention Day. Attendees can watch a live K9 Water Leak Detection demonstration by Meghan Bodie and K9 Kieran of Vickery K9 and learn how trained detection dogs complement traditional leak investigation methods.

If you're attending, stop by the Vickery K9 booth to meet K9 Kieran. You'll learn how K9 Water Leak Detection provides another tool for smarter leak investigations, helping utilities work more efficiently while protecting one of our most valuable resources.

We look forward to sharing highlights from the event!

08/01/2026

Congratulations to our newest team… and our most experienced!

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer Shepherd and her newest K9 Water Leak Detection (K9WLD) partner, Lux, on successfully passing their Operational Readiness Training and Evaluation (ORTE)!

We’re also incredibly proud to congratulate Eleanor, our most experienced canine partner, who once again demonstrated her professionalism and skill by successfully passing her ORTE.

Today’s success is a reminder that excellence isn’t defined by age or experience alone. Whether a team is just beginning their journey or has years of field experience, every team must demonstrate the knowledge, operational readiness, and performance expected of a professional K9 Water Leak Detection team.

Congratulations to Jennifer, Lux, and Eleanor on this outstanding achievement! We look forward to seeing all of you continue protecting our nation’s water infrastructure—one leak at a time.