Two border collies named Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious office at West Virginia's busiest airport. The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the mile-long airfield to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe. Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in affection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a flight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Chris Keyser, the dogs' handler and the airport's wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane can make a difference for someone's life. Collisions between wildlife and planes are common at airports nationwide. With that in mind, Yeager management in 2018 bought Hercules at the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.

Hercules spent the first 18 months of his life training to herd geese and sheep around his birthplace at Charlotte, North Carolina-based Flyaway Geese, which teaches border collies to help businesses address nuisance wildlife problems.

When Hercules stepped onto Charleston's airfield for the first time, I held my breath, Flyaway Geese owner Rebecca Gibson said. But boy, he took hold of the reins. It was his place.

He's done an amazing job and has just been a great dog for them. We're very proud of him.

Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 when he was welcomed into the fold last year from another kennel where he trained to herd goats and geese. Ned has shadowed Hercules, following commands from Keyser and learning safety issues such as not venturing onto the runway.

About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.

At the Charleston airport, wildlife-plane incidents vary each year from a few to a couple of dozen.

Anytime a plane hits a bird, it has to be inspected, and it causes a delay in the flight, Keyser said. And sometimes you don't make your connecting flights. So, that's how important it is to keep everything going smooth.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.