COVID-sniffing dogs are now a thing in America ... and the pups are getting their first whiff of action at an NBA game in Florida.
The Miami Heat debuted the virus-sniffing dogs at Wednesday's game at AmericanAirlines Arena, with our four-legged friends screening fans before they could be allowed inside the building.
As you can see, a trainer walks a dog down a line of socially-distanced fans under a big tent and the canine takes a big sniff before moving on to the next person. The dogs are taught to sit if they detect the virus, and the process looks quick and efficient.
The dogs are being used because the Heat are opening the arena up to fans for the first time this season, and it's just an added level of virus protocol in addition to a health questionnaire and mask mandate.
As we reported ... the dogs are being trained at nearby Florida International University, and Dr. DeEtta Mills, who is leading the program, told us how the canines could soon be deployed in airports across the country.
Before Miami, virus-sniffing dogs were already being used to detect COVID-19 in Chile, United Arab Emirates and Finland ... and researchers say the highly-trained dogs detect the disease with almost 100% accuracy.