Boston museum to protect art with pest-sniffing dog

BOSTON — Boston's venerable Museum of Fine Arts has gone to the dogs.

Wednesday, the museum introduced its new staff member: a 12-week-old Weimaraner puppy named Riley.

Riley's job, once he's fully trained, will be to sniff out the insects or other pests that could damage priceless works of art.

Riley belongs to and will be trained by Nicki Luongo, the museum's director of protective services.

The MFA already has a series of safety measures in place, but with thousands of people walking the halls every day, staff felt Riley's strong sense of smell would be a big benefit.

Riley is part of a pilot program - the first of its kind for the museum.

The MFA plans to document Riley's progress, and hopes their program could soon become an industry standard.

Riley will spend the next year going through basic training. Once he's ready to work, he'll mainly be used behind the scenes, and won't often be seen by visitors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group