Eba. A simple name, for a small dog with an indispensable purpose.

Traditionally, the name means “life” which is exactly what Eba could be helping to provide for the Southern Residents with her skill set, but neither her name nor her purpose was deliberate. In fact, Dr. Deborah Giles – Eba’s human companion, trainer and co-worker – did not intend to have another dog after a previous loss left her grieving, and when she considered making Eba part of the family it didn’t originally occur to her that Eba would become such an essential part of her mission as a research scientist working to save endangered orcas. Everything about Eba and her work are serendipitous, at the very least.

So how did Eba find her calling? Well, it all started when a tiny 3.5 pound puppy found wandering the streets of Sacramento was taken to a shelter, chilled to the bone, but a fighter, nonetheless. Thankfully the shelter staff did not give up on her, and once she was healthy again, she was placed with a foster family where she stayed for a while, but as chance would have it through a series of fortunate mishaps – she was adopted by none other than Dr. Giles’ sister. Happy and healthy, Eba got along well with the other dogs in the home for quite a while, until the dynamic eventually shifted as it often can with rescued pets, and Giles’ sister urged her to adopt Eba. Initially Dr. Giles was hesitant, unwilling to become attached to another furry companion, but upon meeting her she found the little dog’s lovable personality to be impossible to refuse. Dr. Giles took Eba home to Friday Harbor, Washington, telling herself it was only on a trial basis, but we all know how that turned out!

Little did Giles know that her new furry companion not only had high energy and intelligence, but also had the high play drive to go with them – the perfect recipe for a scent sniffing science dog! Eba began making these qualities apparent almost immediately – she preferred playing above eating and would pursue anyone who was willing to throw a ball, over and over and over. Today her favorite toy is a rope, and her game of choice is tug of war, which she is rewarded with every time she helps the team find whale poop!

At the time, Giles worked for the University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology, and the Conservation Canine’s program had lost funding for scent-detection dogs. They wondered how they were going to continue this important work, especially after their dog handler left for another program. But then, as if by fate, funding was restored, and Giles felt she might have a canine with all the right traits. She was cautioned, however that companion dogs don’t often make good scent dogs, but Eba turned out to be a natural - mastering the skill in just four days!

To this day Eba uniquely balances both companionship and dedication to her mission, and when the whales come home, it’s time to work and Giles straps Eba into her red life jacket and protective goggles – business casual for riding the bow of a research boat, 400 meters downwind of whales, sniffer high in the air. But please, no booping this cute snoot until the job is done! Eba’s sharp sense of smell can detect whale scat up to a mile away and depending on her body positioning she can guide her team directly to it. This guidance provides a level of efficiency for her team and a complete lack of interference for the whales that is impossible to have otherwise. Once the scat is collected, she gets 5 whole minutes of tug of war play, and if you ask her, she thinks she got the better end of this deal!

Back in the lab, even the smallest sample of whale feces can provide a plethora of important data points about individual whales and their health. The samples collected as a result of Eba’s expertise can even provide information about family relationships within this community and allows Dr. Giles to track the health of the entire population over time.

As you can see, this small dog – weighing in around 30 pounds now – is providing a huge benefit with her skills, the enormity of which she has no idea because all she wants out of life is to greet everyone by wagging her entire body, snuggle up with her family, play with her favorite toys and smell that salty Salish Sea air from the bow of a research boat. And hey, if there’s whale poop in there too, then that’s just fine with her!

*Written in 2022 for Wild Orca and published to the first version of the website. Awaiting migration to the new website.

Eba the Whale Dog