Dogs are a fierce enemy of the eastern box turtle, sometimes injuring or killing them by gnawing at their crunchy shells.

But early on Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location on the North Fork, specially-trained dogs were helping to preserve the species.

Newt, a golden-colored energetic Labrador retriever, his tail wagging while chasing a ball, dashed in and out of a group of 25 volunteers who signed up to look for and document turtles for the Group for the East End.

The environmental organization has partnered with Dr. Ana Thonis, a New York University biology professor, and wildlife detection dog handler Dr. Kris Hoffman, owner of Bark & Code, to survey eastern box turtles at eight locations across Long Island, including sites on the East End.

The goal is to determine how many of the elusive reptiles still live here, assess their health and gather data that could help protect the species. Each turtle found during the study is measured, weighed and photographed. Researchers also collect a tiny blood sample and mark the shell with a small, harmless notch before returning the animal to the exact spot where it was discovered.

Before volunteers headed into the dense vegetation and uneven terrain, Thonis explained why the survey locations remain secret. If poachers learn where large turtle populations exist, she said, the animals can be removed from the wild and sold online. The islandwide study includes undisclosed sites in Brookhaven, Jamaica and elsewhere on Long Island.

“Yesterday we were hunting on the South Fork and we found 49 turtles, which is exciting. The norm is four,” Thonis said. “If you find a turtle today, please document whether it was on leaf litter, basking in the sun, eating, and whether its head was in or out.”

‘Amazing’

“Newt, come here!” Hoffman called, and the Labrador immediately bounded to her side, a New York Knicks-colored tennis ball clenched in his mouth.

At seven years old, Newt has already found “thousands” of turtles during surveys with Hoffman. She can tell when he’s onto one by the change in his body language.

“He’ll lie down next to it and smell it,” she said.

The volunteers were ready. Some were covered from ankle to neck in bright orange overalls treated with insect repellent; others wore orange safety vests. With that, Thonis sent them into the woods.

“Let’s go find some turtles! Hopefully we’ll find a bunch!”

The volunteers spread out in groups of two and three, moving slowly through the brush, eyes fixed on the ground in search of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina). The species is easily recognized by its brownish-black domed shell, often marked with yellow, orange or red patterns. Adults measure between 4.5 and 8 inches long. Males have red eyes; females have brown eyes.

It didn’t take long for the first discovery.

“I found one!” shouted Jon Belz of Port Chester.

He gently picked up the box turtle, which immediately retracted its head into its shell.

“It’s really exciting,” Belz said. “There will be more.”

Nearby, Newt worked through thorny brush, fallen limbs and thick leaf litter, roaming off leash while Hoffman watched closely.

“I can tell by the way his tail moves,” she said. “If he catches the scent of a turtle, his tail wags really fast and his back is straight. He found 13 turtles yesterday.”

Between bursts of sniffing and running, Newt repeatedly glanced back at Hoffman for direction.

“We’re using animals to protect other animals,” she said. “It’s very rewarding.”

While Newt searched by scent, volunteers relied on sharp eyes and persistence. Ducking under branches, stepping over fallen limbs and pushing through chest-high thorn bushes, they eventually located 16 turtles.

“Amazing,” Thonis declared.

“I love our volunteers!” she said. “I’m a very strong advocate of integrating local people into local research because it really bolsters a sense of community and comradery about a species that has been here for hundreds of thousands of years. We have lawyers and schoolteachers who care. I wish more people did.”

‘I love turtles’

A busy group text kept pinging as the volunteers stayed connected with Thonis, sharing their excitement in finding a turtle and pinpointing its longitude and latitude.

“Half hiding between two of the walking trails,” one message said. The data collected will be sent to state and local officials once all the surveys are completed later this month.

Most of the human volunteers, like Emily Horan of Coram —taking a quick break from ducking under tree limbs and stepping over fallen branches and twigs — said what motivates them to go on this six-hour search is that their efforts will help sustain this endangered species.

“I love turtles, always have,” she said. “I haven’t had any luck so far in finding one, but I’m hopeful.”

For first time volunteer Andrew Lin, a Stony Brook student, it was “good exercise, but a lot of ticks!” as he plucked one off his arm. He added “This is a very important survey because so many turtles are disappearing. It’s really good that we’re trying to preserve them for future generations.”

Volunteers and their canine counterparts search for turtles (Deborah Wetzel photos)

Cornell graduate Dimitris Salas drove out from Astoria for his first dog-assisted turtle trek.

“It’s really cool to see how Dr. Hoffman works with her dog. I found 4 turtles in yesterday’s hunt and it was exciting. Some were sitting there with their heads out, some were hidden.” For Salas, the valuable experience will help him as he plans a career in wildlife conservation. 

‘Sensitive creatures’

Wildlife detection dogs, sometimes called conservation detection dogs, have been used for about a decade in states including Illinois and North Carolina, according to Thonis.

“There’s an uptick now in using dogs because researchers have found this method to be extremely effective,” she said.

A few years ago, after speaking at a conference, Thonis was approached by two scientists from the Seatuck Environmental Association about launching a volunteer-based turtle survey on Long Island.

“And I saw how incredibly difficult they are to find,” she said. “I said we need to use dogs. If we only use people, we won’t get enough data. I want to use detection dogs.”

Last year, Seatuck, the South Fork Natural History Museum and the Long Pond Greenbelt Center provided the $8,000 needed to hire Hoffman and her dogs. Sixty volunteers spent eight days surveying eight locations, checking turtles for injury, disease, genetic diversity, shell and body condition, and signs of contamination.

“We can take a toenail clipping, which is just like human hair, and see traces of what they’re consuming,” Thonis said.

Chemicals used on lawns, along with substances associated with roadwork and runoff, can leach into the soil where turtles live.

“They’re really sensitive creatures,” she said.

‘Kinda cute’

Urbanization presents another challenge, confining turtles to increasingly fragmented patches of forest, fields and grassland. They also face threats from vehicle strikes, raccoons that prey on their eggs, lawn mowers and agricultural equipment.

Like many of the volunteers, Thonis remembers the excitement of finding a box turtle in the backyard as a child, a thrill she says has become far less common.

“We can’t protect them until we know what’s happening to them,” she said.

During a recent survey on the South Fork, researchers found 32 turtles in a single day.

“There are a ton of turtles that are healthy. We found 32, so that’s a great day,” Thonis said. “There are places like Staten Island and Brooklyn that are surrounded by high levels of urbanization, where you have more pollution and cars. But we know there are turtles there.”

For Hoffman, the appeal of turtles goes back to childhood.

“It tends to be a surprise,” she said. “They’re kinda cute and they’re a wonder.”

Her fascination began with a spotted turtle science project in Massachusetts when she was in seventh grade.

“It was so much fun, but it would be easier with a dog,” she recalled thinking.

Today, Hoffman has spent decades training wildlife detection dogs.

Training begins with an artificial scent, typically birch oil or another scent placed in a red Kong toy.

“When we get them used to finding a scented object and understanding how that odor moves through different landscapes, then we switch to turtle scent,” Hoffman said. “They dive under the leaves. I may not be able to see them, but Newt will find all the turtles.”

She said Newt’s success rate far exceeds that of human searchers.

“Newt is 11 times more effective than people, and that number goes straight to my ego,” Hoffman said with a laugh. “I’m very proud of him.”

Still, even the best detection dogs don’t always come through.

“Sometimes we’re out there for six hours and find none,” she said.

Part of Newt’s talent may be in his breeding.

“Newt’s parents were raised to hunt quail, and he is obsessed with smell,” Hoffman said.

Several of his siblings now work with the TSA and narcotics units.

“Newt is not your typical Lab,” she said. “But he can be a pain to live with because he has so much energy. His nose is always going.”

And after a long day of tracking turtles?

“The ball,” Hoffman said when asked about his reward. “He loves playing with it.”

Hoffman believes growing awareness of the eastern box turtle’s decline is helping drive conservation efforts.

“Everybody loves a turtle,” she said. “When you’re aware that they’re endangered in their own backyard, people want to save them.”loves a turtle. When you’re aware that they’re endangered in their own backyard, people want to save them.”