U.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance) on June 8 introduced the COVID-19 Warrior Dogs Act, legislation to authorize a pilot program at the Department of Defense to determine the effectiveness of using dogs to detect the early stages of diseases, including COVID-19.

“We’ve seen time and time again how dogs and their amazing talent can help protect our safety. Dogs’ skills in detecting COVID-19 are currently being developed in countries all over the world,” Lieu said. “I’m pleased to introduce this bill to create a pilot program at the U.S. Department of Defense to test the effectiveness of dogs using their keen sense of smell to detect COVID-19. If effective, dogs can be trained and put to work in airports and other travel hubs across the country – offering a cheaper and faster way to test for COVID. Although the U.S. is making great strides in the fight against COVID-19, the virus isn’t going away, which is why we must continue to explore cost-effective and dynamic ways to test for infections.”

The Penn Vet Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania supported the COVID-19 Warrior Dogs Act:

“Working dogs have demonstrated an ability to detect COVID-19,” said Cynthia M. Otto, director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center. “This bill will ensure scientifically rigorous validation for operational utilization of medical detection dogs.”

For information, visit lieu.house.gov.