ABOUT US
About Mussel Dogs
Mussel Dogs provides consulting and inspection services for water agency and lake management professionals seeking comprehensive plans to inspect for the presence of quagga, zebra and golden mussels. Mussel Dogs updates your current aquatic invasive species prevention plan with best practices to achieve efficient, boater-friendly inspections for invasive mussels. We partner with federal, state and municipal agencies to utilize the most current and effective methods to keep aquatic invasive species out of our waterways.
We were proud to participate in the filming of the pilot episode for Blue Collar Dogs….check it out!
Mussel Dogs is operated by Dogs With Jobs, LLC
As an experienced detection dog trainer, Debi was invited in 2008 to attend a California Department of Fish and Wildlife demonstration of canines trained to detect invasive mussels. Inspired by their role in protecting waterways, she launched her own program. Today, we are permitted by California Department of Fish and Wildlife to possess quagga, zebra, and golden mussels for training. What began with one dog has grown into a dedicated pack of trained canines and inspectors working together to safeguard lakes and waterways through efficient watercraft inspections.
About Debi DeShon
Debi DeShon is a leading expert in canine detection and invasive mussel prevention. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business and Management from UC Davis in 1987 and an Associate’s degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management from Moorpark College in 1989.
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Debi launched her career in Hollywood training dogs for television and iconic films such as Beethoven. In 1996, she transitioned into canine detection with Interquest Detection Canines, specializing in the detection of illegal drugs and contraband. By 1999, she was operating four Interquest Detection Canines franchises, training and managing canine-handler teams nationwide.
In 2008, Debi founded Mussel Dogs, applying advanced canine detection methods to the prevention of invasive mussel spread. Under her leadership, Mussel Dogs has become a trusted partner for agencies across the United States, providing watercraft inspections, canine detection services, consulting, and outreach. In 2025 alone, Mussel Dogs operated at 12 waterways, deployed 14 trained mussel detection dogs, employed nearly 50 handlers and inspectors, and completed over 65,000 entrance boat inspections.
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Research Leadership
Debi DeShon is a recognized leader in research on the use of scent detection canines for invasive mussel detection. Her peer-reviewed work has demonstrated that trained canines can reliably detect both adult quagga and zebra mussels and their microscopic larval stage (veligers), even at very low concentrations. This research has shown that canine detection can overcome key limitations of traditional visual inspections.
More recent collaborative research has compared canine detection with environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, confirming that detection dogs are an effective and operationally efficient tool for early detection. Together, this body of research supports the integration of canine detection into comprehensive AIS prevention and management programs.
Mussel Dogs also provides training and support services for other canine detection teams, ranging from invasive species to illegal drugs and termites. Learn more about our dog-training services at www.dogswithjobs.info and visit our store at www.dogswithjobs.info/store.
Peer-Reviewed Research
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DeShon, D. L., Wong, W. H., Farmer, D., & Jensen, A. (2016). The ability of scent detection canines to detect the presence of quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) veligers. Management of Biological Invasions, 7(4), 419–428. https://www.reabic.net/journals/mbi/2016/4/MBI_2016_DeShon_etal.pdf
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DeShon, D., Jensen, A., & Wong, W. H. (2015). Utilizing canines in the detection of quagga (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). In CRC Press eBooks, Chapter in Invasive Species Detection (pp. 115–121). https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/b18447-18/utilizing-canines-detection-quagga-dreissena-rostriformis-bugensis-zebra-mussels-dreissena-polymorpha-debra-deshon-ashley-jensen-wai-hing-wong
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Whitehead, A. P., Matheus, K. A., Bunker, P., DeShon, D. L., Steinkraus, B., Hall, N. J., & Barnes, M. A. (2024). Advancing early detection technologies for Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771): comparing mussel detection in environmental samples with environmental DNA (eDNA) and scent detection canines. Management of Biological Invasions, 15(2), 219–238. https://www.reabic.net/journals/mbi/2024/2/MBI_2024_Whitehead_etal.pdf