– Teresa Madaleno:

Amidst all the doom and gloom about climate change, there are positive environment stories. Here’s one we came across and couldn’t resist sharing, especially considering all the recent wildfires raging around the world.

In 2017, Chile experienced unprecedented forest fires. An estimated 1.4 million acres of land was damaged, close to 2,000 homes destroyed, and eleven people perished. Following the tragedy, a crew of Border Collies were assembled and equipped with vests that carry and release seeds as they run. The dogs were encouraged to race through the burnt forest areas. The idea was that the seeds would root and grow into new trees.

Why Border Collies? I’ve had a Border Collie, so this question is easy to answer. Border Collies are very smart and can be trained to not lose focus when they come across other animals. Also, this breed of dog loves to run.

The Border Collies in Chile can cover as many as 18 miles a day and spread more than 20 pounds of seeds across that distance. For those of you who may be wondering – yes, the dogs get rewarded for their work with lots of treats.

Two sisters train the dogs and have a passion for the environment. They have reported that many seedlings have popped up because of the Border Collie’s work.

This story makes you wonder what else animals can do to help protect our planet.