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News On Some Of Our ‘Ex-Pats’
(We love hearing how our ‘ex-pats’ are doing, updates can be sent to sheena@clareanimalwelfare.net)
Sent By Small-Man’s (now Monty) New Owner in January 2009
(Small-Man was one of the 10 lurcher pups that came into our care in June 2008 see Reality Bites )
Have enclosed a picture of little Monty that we thought you might like to see and you are more than welcome to use it
on your website if anyone may be interested in seeing Monty`s progress. Monty is such a lovable and cheeky little rogue.
We are just so glad that we were able to offer this dear little boy the home that he so desperately needed.
We have made a donation through Paypal for £50.00 to Clare Animal Welfare
to thank you all for nursing little Monty back to health again. Your hard work, kindness
and caring not only for Monty, but for all other animals that come into your care is so very much appreciated.
Kindest regards, Steven & Susan Collins, UK
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Sent By Zac’s Owner Caitríona in September 2008
We got Zac through Clare Animal Welfare in June 2006. Although we wanted Zac as a pet,we were both involved with Doolin Coast Guard and wondered about the possibility of training a search dog.We got in touch with SARDA Ireland and went along to one of their National Training weekends.
Zac started his basic training as a puppy with quick runaway hides , where a volunteer (body), mostly, my husband Bernard would run away, calling him , and then duck in behind a rock or a tree.The person would hide down wind of the dog and in this way the dog finds the person by airscenting.These games were gradually lengthened until Zac learned to find people by using his nose alone with no visual or auditory clues.
On finding the volunteers Zac was rewarded by a session of play with a tug toy or ball.The training is always great fun for the dogs and they are trained to bark for the toy.This is how the dog lets his handler know he has found someone. This later developes into a system where the handler may be a long way off and the dog will return to the handler when he has found , bark or perform some other form of alert and lead the handler back to the found person. The dogs go through an obedience test and a stock test to make sure they are totally safe with livestock or animals that may be on the hills.
As the dogs progress they learn to range out further and cover more ground and follow directional commands given by the handler. The handler learns how to cover larger areas with their dog, learns about scent, wind, directional control and how to read the dogs body language.The dog and handler really become a team at this stage and together they will be able to locate a number of hidden persons in huge areas.
After about two years training and when the team are ready the dog and handler then go through an assessment where they are assessed by outside assessors from SARDA England, Wales,Scotland, N Ireland or SARDA Lakes.This assessment is quite difficult and strict as the end result must be a team that will find a person who may be lost or injured.
In May 2008 Zac and I went through our 3 day assessment in areas of County Wicklow. We searched all our areas successfully and we were graded as a Novice Search Dog Team.
We train at least once a week locally and then there are National training weekends every six weeks. These may be in anywhere in the country and handlers , their dogs and volunteer bodies from all parts of the country will meet and train together.
When he's not training he hangs around the house and farm with the rest of the dogs,he occasionally digs up a flower bed and he loves the beach. He gets very excited when he sees his gear coming out and when he is training or on a search he is totally focused on that. At the moment Zac is one of only two qualified SARDA dogs in the country.
Some more dog teams are busily training for their assessments in the next few months.
Zac and I have enjoyed the last number of years with SARDA and I have learned a huge amount about dogs, at times it is very hard work but the bond that developes between the dog and handler is very strong.
It is great to see the younger dogs progressing and seeing a dog working well and enjoying it for such a worthwhile cause is fantastic.
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If you would like more information on SARDA check out their website - www.sardaireland.com
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