Detection for Good

17/12/2025

Check us out on Youth Jam radio at around 4.15pm today ⬇️ talking about Kelly, Dieback and how YOU can be a DIEBACK DEFENDER!

12/12/2025

Are YOU a DIEBACK DEFENDER?

Here at Detection for Good, we are committed to using the dual superpowers of dogs to help conserve the incredible world around us!

You already know about the power of a dogs nose, but they also have another superpower. Through the special relationship dogs and humans have - a bond developed over evolutionary time, dogs have the power to connect people with other stories.

You have probably seen our brand new springer Kelly has joined the team. She is a dieback dog - sniffing out the water mould Phytopthora cinnamomi that kills over 40% of WAs native plants, forever changing areas that it impacts.

To successfully reduce the spread and impact of Phytophthora Dieback everyone is needed to get on board!

You can help by:
- asking for dieback-free materials such as soil, gravel, potting mix, mulch and plants
- cleaning boots and vehicles to prevent the spread of soil or mud around bushland
- observing signage in your local bushland reserve.

AND SPREADING THE WORD!!

DFG is launching a super fun T-Shirt to help spread the word! It's celebrating Kelly with fab bold artwork by our very own crew member Alex Pilgrim-Byrne who is also a talented digital artist! Rocking the “dieback defender” message, it's a statement, a story and a conversation starter!

You belong to the kind of community that protects places, loves dogs, and goes out of your way to do small things that make a BIG difference - because together, we can do ALOT.

So grab a shirt, start a conversation, share this post, spread the word, and tell us below about how YOU are a dieback defender!

https://www.detectionforgood.com/shop/p/copy-of-earless-dragon-line-art-t-shirt-evie-hunting-condamine-earless-dragons

If you want to find out more about Phytopthora, you can check out the Dieback Working Group webpage, or feel free to reach out and we will share what we can or connect you to an expert!
https://www.dwg.org.au/about-dieback/phytophthora-dieback/

This tee celebrates Powerhouse Kelly, the ball-obsessed springer spaniel and Phytopthora cinnamomi detection dog, with fab bold artwork by Alex Pilgrim Byrne. Rocking the “dieback defender” message loud and proud! The illustration captures Kelly and her joy with her favourite thing in the whole ...

12/12/2025

Hey everyone, get excited because detection for Good now has Merch!!

Get your Detection for Good Merch - featuring our detection dogs and their targets!

03/12/2025

Detection for Good is excited to announce that we have been awarded a project to develop detection dog methods for Trapdoor Spiders 🕸️🕷️ Watch this space for exciting developments over the next 6 months!

28/11/2025

This is a great video helping spread Phytopthora awareness!

CCMA Phytophthora Management Program.

24/11/2025

We are delighted to that as part of another incredible national initiative Kelly and I have had the privilege of supporting this incredible work to protect West Australia’s beautiful threatened flora by helping to screen for Phytopthora in and around these special sites - one of many parts of the overall effort to keep them free of the pathogen and thriving 🤩 🐾

The Dieback Detector Dogs project is funded by the Australian Government Saving Native Species Program and aims to support the recovery of threatened species and communities impacted by Phytophthora cinnamomi across the country.

Threatened Species Commissioner
Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia

11/11/2025

Busting Detection training myths with two legends 💪

Got questions? Drop them below!

The working dog world has no shortage of myths - and in the latest K9 Conservationists podcast episode, we’re setting the record straight. 🐾

From “good training can fix anything” to “you should starve your dog to make them work harder,” these ideas continue to influence conversations about welfare, training, and ethics.

🌿 In this episode, Kayla Fratt is joined by Meg Barnes of and Paul Bunker of to explore where these myths come from, why they persist, and how thoughtful, evidence-based training can help move the field forward.

👉 Swipe through to see a few of the myths we bust in this conversation!

🎧 Listen to “Mythbusting with Meg Barnes & Paul Bunker” now — available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/y3u8abzu

💚 Huge shoutout to our amazing new volunteer Amelia for these awesome graphics!

30/10/2025

Get excited! DFG has CONFIRMED that we will be hosting the one and only Paul Bunker of Chiron K9 LLC right here at our brand new Headquarters in Mundaring in the Perth Hills.

We will be offering an immersive conservation detection experience with campfires and catering alongside all-clear and detection workshops, and team evaluations and coaching. If there is a special skill you would like to learn that isn't on the list, please reach out and I will see if we can embed it in the program.

So mark your calendars now for late September 2026 and stay tuned for booking to open soon once we nail down the final details!

Will we see you there?!

19/10/2025

Hello from our brand new Headquarters in Mundaring! Stay tuned for workshops and local appearances coming soon! 🔜

18/10/2025

We are incredibly proud to be a part of this epic program to bring detection dog capacity to the fight against the spread of Phytopthora, to protect our plants and ecosystems for the future. 🐾 🌱

Yes, one of them can’t say “chunkers,” another uses their whistle like a recorder, and they all relentlessly put s**t on each other (and me). But it’s that very ability to own flaws, be vulnerable, poke fun, fling dog toys like nobody’s business, squeal “Yes!” and dance with a dog in a parking lot that makes this team absolutely perfect.

Pictured here are Australia’s operational Phytophthora Detection Dog teams, ready and rocking. 💪🐾

Over the past week they’ve worked their butts off across Western Australia, successfully locating Phytophthora in the bush, in laboratories, and in vehicles. No matter how many problems there were to solve or how far behind schedule we got, as long as the dogs were happy, the handlers never gave up.

One thing’s clear — this team of people and their incredibly clever dogs can reach any corner of the continent and find Phytophthora.

We’re incredibly grateful for each and every one of them. They’re already proving they can reach any part of the country to help protect Australia’s landscapes from dieback. 🌱

If you’re a land manager, nursery operator, or site owner and need areas assessed for Phytophthora, these are the people to call

🐾 Megan & Kelly – Detection for Good (WA)
🐾 Liam & Danica with Milo & Squid – Glevan Consulting (WA)
🐾 Morgan & Pippa – Enviro-Dynamics (TAS)
🐾 Dave & Alice – TATE Animal Training Enterprises (NSW)

Not pictured but equally important to the project are Sue & Peppa from Quarry clean (TAS) and Avery & Echo from APEX canine (NSW) — also key contributors helping drive this forward.

What started as an ambitious idea just a couple of years ago is now a nationwide capability, led by an incredible group of people and their dogs.

Phytophthora is one of Australia's leading environmental and agricultural threats and this is serious business. These guys have given hundreds of in kind hours to this project already so give them a share or a shout out on your socials if you're that way inclined!

01/10/2025

30/09/2025

Meet the team taking paw-sitive action for WA’s native flora 🐕
Handlers Megan Barnes Detection for Good and Liam Brown joined DBCA Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia at the Dieback Information Group Conference (DIG 2025) last week with WA’s very first dieback detector dogs - Milo and Kelly.

Milo and Kelly are trained to locate Phytophthora dieback by using their amazing sense of smell, to help with mitigating one of the most significant threats to the unique biodiversity of Western Australia.

A DIG conference highlight was watching Milo and Kelly in action and learning how canine detection is changing the game for biodiversity protection.

For more information on Phytophthora dieback and DBCA’s response 👉 https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/management/threat-management/plant-diseases/phytophthora-dieback
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Threatened Species Commissioner