Featured image: Piper in action at the Cherry Capital Airport (photo credit Great Big Story)

Birds and airplanes aren’t compatible. If a bird collides with a plane when the plane is on the runway or taking off, the results can be devastating. A bird sucked into a plane’s engine kills the bird and could cause the plane to crash.

To prevent these disasters, airports have different methods for keeping birds away from the traffic. At the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan, it’s Piper the Aviation Bird Dog, who works the runways with his trainer, Brian Edwards. Piper, a border collie, loves his job, and it shows when you watch him in action.