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Meet Tilly, the Scent-Trained Labrador Sniffing Out Invasive Species in Ontario
The two-year-old conservation detection dog is helping Credit Valley Conservation track down invasive plants and animals before they can spread across the region
Published: July 19, 2026
Tilly the Labrador Retriever has a job that plays perfectly to her strengths: a keen nose and, as her handlers note, a strong appetite for treats used to reward her during training.
The two-year-old dog has joined a pilot program with Credit Valley Conservation, using her scent-detection training to identify high-risk invasive species before they take hold across the organization's properties in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.
Among the species Tilly has been trained to detect are hemlock woolly adelgid, spotted lanternfly and red swamp crayfish, all of which pose a serious threat to local ecosystems if left unchecked. Her nose can pick up traces of these species long before visual surveys would catch them.
Early detection is critical for conservation groups, since invasive species that go unnoticed for even a season or two can be far more expensive and difficult to manage once they spread. Conservation detection dogs like Tilly offer a faster, more targeted alternative to traditional ground surveys.
For Credit Valley Conservation, Tilly represents a growing trend in environmental protection, pairing old-fashioned animal instinct with modern conservation science to keep invasive threats from taking root in Ontario's parks and green spaces.
