Most of you can probably recall Lila, the dog who became an internet sensation two years ago because of her great diving skill which she used to grab lobster off the ocean floor. Today, Lila is viral again, however this time around, instead of lobsters, plastic bottles are what she is retrieving from the ocean!
According to Lila’s owner, Alex Schulze, he got the idea of training Lila to retrieve wastes polluting the ocean, when Lila gobbled up a lobster from the bottom of the ocean floor. Being the CEO and founder of 4Ocean, an organization dedicated in cleaning the ocean and coastlines, thought that Lila’s great diving skills can serve a higher purpose.
So instead of gobbling up lobsters, now, Lila spend her time removing pollution and garbage from the ocean. She retrieves plastic bottles, cans, and any wastes she sees in the ocean.
“Lila loves to come on our cleanups and help pick up plastic bottles, cans, and basically anything that she can to help us clean the beach.” Alex shared how Lila helps in cleaning the ocean.
The plastic bottles and other garbage which Lila was able to retrieve from the ocean is immediately placed in their big blue bin. Lila is the one who dispenses the garbage she collected on the bin herself, which makes her even more efficient!
To ensure that Lila will be able to dive safely and retrieve garbage of all kinds without harming herself, Alex trained Lila. Starting from pool, he taught her how to retrieve items from the water floor, and later-on trained her lungs to be able to hold her breath longer under water.
For additional safety measures, Lila wears a reflective vest every time she dives in the ocean. The reflective vest helps her with buoyancy and ensures that people can see her under water.
Whether she’s walking on the coasts of the ocean or diving underneath it, Lila makes sure that she collects plastic bottles and other wastes she crosses a path with.
Remarkably, Alex’s 4ocean, with the help of Lila, has already collected their 1 millionth pound of trash. Learn more about the incredible way Alex and Lila bond with each other by saving the environment. Watch their inspiring video below!
Photos and Video | Pets Insider