What started as a troublesome pair of pups stealing litter from the family recycling bin has now turned into a war on waste as two mini dachshunds get to work picking up litter during their daily walks.
Using Hooch and Dudley's love of rubbish to her advantage, owner Amber Lednor, 38, has trained her black and tan mini dachshunds to keep their noses to the ground in their home town of Moray, Scotland, picking up their favourite plastic bottles and carrying them around until they can be safely disposed of.
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The dogs have now made this fight against litter into a playful game and will happily spend the afternoon mooching around the hedgerows searching for discarded rubbish - a practice they watched environmentally-conscious Amber doing for some time before they decided to get involved themselves.
Hooch and Dudley are definitely doing their bit for the community helping clean up litter from the neighbourhood, even visiting nearby beaches to do litter picks along the shore.
"It all began when they found a beer bottle on one of their walks earlier this year," says Amber, a stay-at-home mum.
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"Hooch and Dudley are a naughty, cheeky duo - they used to steal plastic bottles and paper out of the recycling box and then chase each other with them, trying to steal them off each other.
"So when they found a bottle on walks that they love, to the park, woods or beach, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to clean up those areas too. Those two are always on extendable leads, nose to the ground, ferreting out the rubbish," she added.
"I began picking it up and putting in the plastic bottles, which the two of them will carry in their mouths quite happily until I find a bin. I thought I might as well make use of their skills."
Amber's eight-year-old daughter Alexis has also got in on the action, helping her hounds on their quest to tidy the planet, turning the practice into a day out for the whole family to enjoy.
"It looks nice when we take the dogs out, and if every dog in Britain picked up two bits of rubbish and binned it or recycled it, we'd really be helping the earth," said Amber.
Amen to that.
Featured Image Credit: Caters