Our loyal four-legged companions may soon be valuable frontline health workers after research led by the University of Adelaide found that specially trained dogs can detect positive COVID-19 cases. In a media release on Monday, Dr Anne-Lise Chaber, a senior lecturer in the University of Adelaide’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, said that these dogs, which a predominantly labradors, can sniff out COVID-19 cases faster and earlier than a PCR test and more reliably than rapid antigen tests. “Dogs have a remarkable ability to home in on COVID-positive, and their strike rate for sniffing out the virus is more than 97 per cent, even in symptom-free cases in controlled settings,” she said. In a presentation at Adelaide University on Tuesday night, Chaber explained how the research was done, the findings, and the greater potential of this screening tool. She explained that since 1889, there had been numerous anecdotal cases of …