Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious office at West Virginia’s busiest airport.
The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong airfield to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe.
Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in affection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a flight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.
Chris Keyser, the dogs’ handler and the airport’s wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make a difference for someone’s life.”
How it started
Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.
Hercules spent the first 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte, North Carolina-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.
When Hercules stepped onto Charleston’s airfield for the first time, “I held my breath,” Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. “But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place.
“He’s done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We’re very proud of him.”
Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren.
Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese. Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.
“Ned’s ready to go,” Keyser said. “He’s picked up on all that. He’s doing fantastic, running birds off.”
Inside the airport operations center, Hercules is laid back until he’s told it’s time to work, barking at the door in anticipation. Ned, on the other hand, is always moving. When not outside, he’ll bring his blue bouncy ball to anyone willing to play fetch.
A mountaintop menagerie
Charleston’s airport is on top of a mountain and has a menagerie of wildlife, including Canada geese, hawks, ducks, songbirds and bats. After it rains, worms come to the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyser said.
In addition to taking the dogs on their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, which looks for birds on the field or relays reports from airplanes that see wildlife nearby.
“We get plenty of exercise,” Keyser said. “You don’t gain no weight in this job. It’s an all-day job. You’re always got your eyes on the field, you’ve got your ears open listening to the radio.”
Border collies are among the most energetic dog breeds. They’ve been used for decades to shoo Canada geese off golf courses. They’ve also scared away birds at other airports, military bases, and locks and dams.
The dogs’ instincts are to herd, not to kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they’re no different than a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator for the bird,” Gibson said.
Bird strikes cause delays
About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.
Perhaps the most famous bird-plane strike occurred in January 2009 when a flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport almost immediately flew into a flock of Canada geese, knocking out both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger guided the powerless jet into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 movie “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks.
At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple dozen.
“Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the flight,” Keyser said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connecting flights. So that’s how important it is to keep everything going smooth.”
In 2022 alone, there were five airplane strikes at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane collided with two deer after landing. The tip of the right engine propeller blade separated and punctured the plane’s fuselage, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.
A comforting paw
Inside the terminal, Hercules wags his tail as he moves about greeting passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott Depot, West Virginia, resident waiting to board a flight to visit her daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio.
Spry needed a bit of cheering up. In addition to having a fear of flying, Spry’s 15-year-old cat was euthanized the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.
An impromptu visit from Hercules brought a smile — and more. Hercules placed a paw on Spry’s arm and delivered plenty of wet kisses.
“He’s making my day better,” Spry said.
She also joked whether the airport might want to let Hercules stay with her a while longer.
“I think there was an empty seat on the plane beside me,” Spry said.
