‘Highway to the Danger Zone’ – the true tail of Hercules and Ned

By Matthew Young, RealWV

For the better part of a decade, the number of collisions between aircraft and wildlife has been relatively low at Charleston’s Yeager Airport (CRW), and there are two very furry reasons for that…runway dogs Hercules and Ned.

“We were having bird-strikes and delays quite often, and our director decided we needed to do something about it,” CRW Wildlife Specialist Chris Keyser told RealWV on Tuesday. “We decided to get dogs to see if it would make a difference, and they have made a difference.”

Since acquiring the dynamic-duo of border collies – first Hercules, and later Ned – Keyser says incidents of bird strikes have decreased by upwards of 70%. 

“That’s how it came about, and I’ve been working with them for about seven years now,” Keyser noted.

Hercules, who will celebrate his ninth birthday on March 27, joined the CRW team when he was just two.  Ned, Hercules’ understudy, partner and eventual successor – and who will turn three on March 21 – made his runway debut about 18-months ago. And as the two goodest-boys will be celebrating their birthdays so close together, Keyser added, a joint public-party will be held at the Kanawha County Library, in downtown Charleston. Stay tuned for details on that. 

Currently, CRW is one of only a handful of international airports in North America which make use of runway dogs. And as for their training, Keyser explained, it begins rather far-removed from the runway. 

“A lot of these dogs are trained for golf courses, and to work on farms,” Keyser said. “Hercules was trained to run sheep and geese, and to dive into ponds. They’re trained by commands.”

“Ned was trained on a farm as well, but he was trained to run goats and geese,” Keyser continued. “But they were both trained to dive in the water and swim.”

When they arrived at CRW, Keyser noted, additional training was required to familiarize the dogs with work on a runway. 

“We had to work with them for several months before we felt safe enough that we could trust them,” Keyser added. “I’ve learned to trust both of them. I don’t have to worry about going on the runway. They go by commands and hand signals, and they’ve always got their eyes on me no matter where I’m at.”

According to CRW’s Chief Marketing Officer Paige Withrow, both Hercules and Ned were originally trained in North Carolina.

“Hercules, they actually started training him with just a mop when he was a pup,” Withrow said. “They would work with the movement of the mop, and then from there they would go to different types of animals.”

“They start them when they’re very young,” Withrow added. “Hercules comes from Fly Away Geese (dog training/wildlife management) in North Carolina, and Kuykendall’s Border Collies is where Ned came from.”

Most days, Hercules and Ned work together as partners. However on longer days, Keyser said, each dog will take a shift. Longer days can sometimes occur if airline traffic in and out of the airport is heavier than usual, or in the case of inclement weather. 

“A lot of times it depends on the rain,” Keyser noted. “The rain brings birds because the worms surface on the ground.”

Keyser remains in constant communication with the air traffic control tower, which keeps him apprised of the location of any wildlife that may pose a risk to runway traffic. Once a possible threat is identified, Keyser and the dogs spring into action. And sometimes those threats go beyond birds, and take the form of other types of four-legged creatures. 

“Also, they find turtles,” Keyser explained. “People don’t think about a turtle on the runway being dangerous. But they’ll be tracking in the grass, and the next thing you know they’re rolling a turtle around. Then I’ll go pick it up and relocate it somewhere else.”

“What makes border collies so good for this is that they’re intelligent dogs,” Keyser said. “They’re herding dogs, and that’s in their blood. They can also endure heat and cold, and they’re good swimmers.”

But it’s not just wildlife that keeps the dog’s interest, as both are every bit as comfortable inside the airport, and love interacting with passengers and staff – especially the teeny tiny ones.

“Hercules has always liked babies,” Withrow said, with Keyser noting that “a baby could be crying across the airport, and he’ll go straight to it.”

Hercules and Ned have become quite popular after years of loyal service to CRW, and their presence has become an eagerly-anticipated part of any visit to CRW. And for those who can’t get enough of the furry duo, merchandise is available both online and in the airport gift shop, in the form of plush toys, coffee mugs, and stickers. Hercules even has his very own children’s book which regales young readers with his adventures. 

“You couldn’t get any better dogs than the ones we have here,” Keyser added. “They’ve done a fantastic job for us.”