Joanne Bednall Introduces the canine trio rooting out the UK’s most destructive weed.

Mack in action.

Meet Mick, Mack, and Buddy — these three canine superheroes are the latest weapon in the fight to prevent a pernicious perennial plant from taking over UK gardens, parks, and building sites.

With an estimated one million properties blighted by Japanese knotweed, the specially trained trio are giving home owners, house buyers, developers, and landowners peace of mind by detecting this destructive non-native herbaceous plant and its rhizomes (underground stems), even where hidden below ground.

Fourteen-month-old fox red Labradors Mick and Mack graduated from their 12-week training course in mid-March, just as the country went into lockdown. But now, along with the latest recruit, black Cocker Spaniel Buddy, they are busy up and down the country, helping to unearth the rampant weed.

Nic Seal, founder and managing director of Japanese knotweed removal specialists Environet UK, first hit on the idea of using dogs to root out the plant — which is notoriously difficult to detect in winter when it lies dormant — three years ago.

“Japanese knotweed uses plant chemical warfare to kill offother vegetation to ensure it alone thrives,” explained Woking-based Nic, who focuses on environmentally friendly methods of controlling the weed that minimise herbicide usage and reduce the quantity of contaminated soil sent to landfill.