How two border collies help keep planes safe at West Virginia Airport
Meet Hercules and Ned. Collie on two borders spread smiles while keeping West Virginia’s busiest airport safe.
- Hercules and Ned, the collies of the two borders, work at West Virginia International Jager Airport as wildlife experts.
- Their main task is to patrol the airfield and drive away birds, preventing potential collisions with the aircraft.
- The dog has become a beloved airport ambassador, comforting travelers and even inspiring books for children.
Border Collies Hercules and Ned pant after running around all morning, but their second human partner, Krisquezer, says “ready” or “bird”, but the dog gets caught up in the action and begins to bark.
This is because these dogs are trained as airport wildlife patrols at West Virginia International Jaeger Airport, the state’s busiest airport. Hercules, 8, and his young colleague, Ned, 3, work with airport wildlife expert Keiser to drive away animals almost every day from the airport where they could collide with the aircraft.
Whenever the bird is on the airfield – most often, murders and geese around West Virginia communicate with the Keeser on the radio, ordering their dogs to run through them all the way to the grassy grass area next to the fence.
“Where there is a bird, you go there,” Keeser told USA Today.
The dog is happy to rest on Keeser’s lap during the break, so the close bond between the trio is evident. After all, the dog spent most of his life with Keeser. Keiser said he always has a soft spot for dogs.
Cory may be adorable, but Hercules and Ned play a key role in airport safety. In 90% of wildlife attacked between 2016 and 2021, the aircraft were not damaged, but there were factors such as where animals collide with the plane, their size, and where they could have more life-threatening consequences. Between 1990 and 2023, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, 357 people were injured in wildlife attacks on US civilian aircraft.
With their tails and big smiles, the dogs are simultaneously becoming the airport ambassadors, greeting passengers, and adding a bit of joy to what can be a stressful air travel.
A typical day for Ned and Hercules
Ned and Hercules live in the airport and sleep in their own offices decorated with photographs and military patches that they have dealt with members of the service over the years, Keyser said. (In return, he hands out Hercules badges.) While the dog is left at night, Keeser usually arrives at work around 6am to serve them and feed them for breakfast. “I open the door and they both come out and run and jump on me and say, ‘Hey, good morning,’ and kiss me,” he said. They then load everything into the car and the keeser checks to see where they need it that day. The dog is given twice a day (young Ned gets a little more food and gets given – around 10pm, Keeser can return them to the office and fall asleep.
On a typical day, a dog can run up to 6 miles. Rain brings insects to the surface and attracts excess birds, allowing you to run even more. “When it’s raining, it’s all day work,” Keeser said. “It’s a tough job.” The only thing a dog won’t run is whether there’s ice on the ground that can cut its legs, but that’s just a soft snow that’s still going out. Once hot, the keiser brings in plenty of water to keep them cool.
The dog came from a North Carolina-based flyaway goose. It has for nearly 30 years breeding and training dogs to chase wildlife from spaces such as airports and golf courses. Owner Rebecca Gibson said that Border Collies are some of the most effective breeds for their job, based on how they steal prey. The two dogs are also trained to chase sheep and goats.
“They put their heads down, their tails between their legs, and they steal things,” Gibson told USA Today. “Its body movement mimics the hunting movement of a wolf, coyote, or Arctic fox.” Its predatory body posture is received by the prey, and the prey quickly leaves as a survival response.
Other working dogs, such as Labrador Retrievers, are motivated by rewards, but border collies “just want to work” – the perfect choice for wildlife management.
As he grew older, the airport decided to recruit another wildlife patrol dog, and that’s when Ned got into the picture. He shadows Hercules to learn the ropes. They get along like brothers. “To keep everyone safe, that’s our main goal here,” Keeser said.
Unofficial airport ambassador
A happy by-product of Ned and Hercules’ existence is that they became unofficial ambassadors at West Virginia Airport. Essentially, Hercules is a man’s dog and he ends up worshiping everyone he meets, Keeser said.
Gibson admits that Hercules is difficult to train at first, a bit stubborn and overly friendly to people. “He really stepped up and put on his big boy pants. I couldn’t be more proud of what he would turn out,” she said.
Travelers walking through the airport will ask if they can pet Hercules and Ned as the dogs can fly and calm the nerves. “They put a smile on their faces (Hercules),” Keeser said.
Even the children’s book, The Adventures of Hercules: A New Friend, was based on Hercules. Based on a real-life incident, the book shares the story of a young girl who lost her stuffed animal at the airport. Hercules kept it safe and reunited with her on the flight back to the airport.
“We met and greeted us, handed the little stuffed animal to the girl and put a smile on her face,” Keeser said.
“I like making a difference here at the airport and keep the people coming and going here safe. “I feel better and these dogs feel better too.
