Scottish dog trained to detect invasive sea squirts wins animal award

A six-year-old Labrador called Sgiath has won an animal of the year award for finding invasive sea creatures on the Scottish coast. The black dog works with her owner, Dr Texa Sim, at low tide. She is believed to be the first dog in the UK trained to detect carpet sea squirts. These creatures, sometimes called "sea vomit", can cover and kill native sea life if nobody controls them. They also damage local economies. Sgiath has found hundreds of colonies so far. When she locates the organism, she uses a calm signal, like sitting or staring, to tell her owner. A charity gave her the award to recognise how useful trained animals can be in protecting the natural environment.