Dogs arent usually associated with clean beaches.

But new research has recognized border collies for their ability to chase off gulls that foul beach water and sand with their droppings.

The experiment was launched two years ago by researchers at Central Michigan University who were asked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find new ways to control a surging population of gulls that gather on the shores of the Great Lakes.

Not only do the birds swoop down to snatch sandwiches from picnickers and annoy beach-goers, they also poop right where people swim. That makes them a major source of E. coli, bacteria health officials test for as an indicator of pathogens that can make swimmers sick. When elevated levels are detected, authorities post warnings or close beaches.

Elizabeth Alm, a microbiologist at Central Michigan University who led the research, said a review of the literature on the subject found a variety of bird-exclusion techniques using wires, strobe lights, lasers and pyrotechnics -- but few that would be suitable for a public beach.

Enter the border collie.

She and other researchers at the university were familiar with the breeds reputation for intelligence, agility and hard work. So they decided to audition them. Could they use their keen herding abilities and intense gazes toscare off the offending gulls and lower bacteria levels at the beach?

To find out, the researchers leased two trained border collies that had previously been used by the U.S. Air Force to keep geese off runways.

During the summers of 2012 and 2013, scientists assigned each dog to patrol a stretch of public beach on Lake Michigan, leaving two other nearby sections of beach dog-free as a control.

The researchers counted gulls and measured bacteria levels to conclude that border collies were highly effective at warding off gulls from beaches. Samples showed the beaches patrolled by a border collie had significantly lower counts of bacteria than those without dogs.

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Scientists enlist border collies to chase off beach-polluting gulls