Northwestern B.C. dogs sniff out hidden Easter eggs but not the chocolate kind

Foil-wrapped eggs will be hunted and gobbled this weekend as kids search for the spoils hidden by the Easter bunny.

And in northwestern B.C., some lucky dogs got to do the same.

Hana Niemi, a dog trainer in Terrace, hosted an egg hunt for dogs that have been trained to sniff out specific scents in this case, essential oil.

It's called a "scent detection trial." Dogs in the provincecompete in this types of events throughout the year, says Niemi, butnothing like it was available in the northwestern city.

"I wanted to give people that have been training with me the opportunity to trial without having to drive to Quesnel or Prince George, which are the closest places that offer the trials," Niemi told Daybreak North guest host Matt Allen.

Dogs, she says, tend to want a job to do. It doesn't have to be sniffing out narcotics at the border, it can be something as simple as hunting for a plastic egg filled with familiar scents.

On Friday evening, she set up three egg hunts: one indoors with eggs easily spotted on chairs, but the dogs had to identify which one contained the scent they've been trained to sniff out; another in the training yard with eggs hidden throughout; and a third in the front of her training shop with eggs hidden among vehicles.

"All of the dogs that I have trained how to do it have picked it up to some degree," Niemi said. But she said this was the first time these particular dogs sniffed competitively.

Seven dogs competed in Friday's event, with the first prize going tothe fastest searcher,Talon, aone-year-old German shepherd.Second place went to a six-year-old golden retriever named Hannah.

"I just love to see owners and their dogs doing things together," Niemi said. "As a trainer, my job is to help owners do stuff with their dogs and help their dogs live their best lives."

The event helped raise $210 in donations towardthe Canadian non-profit organization, Oasis Animal Rescue and Emergency Services, which is dedicated to placing rescued pets with families.