Please let Simon Tadd know if you will be away so your volunteer period can be covered
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- DAS Welcomes New Kennelmaster
- A new dog park - have YOUR say!
- Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend”
- DAS volunteer profile: Sylvie Stern
- Ask the Registrar
- Dogs protecting Australia’s borders
Doglovers@DAS - November 2012Letter from the EditorWe are delighted to feature DAS’ new Kennelmaster. Do make sure you introduce yourself to Oddie, with a cheery hello. We also profile Sylvie Stern, a dedicated Thursday volunteer. We have a terrific article about the remarkable dogs helping the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service in the critical task of protecting Australia’s borders. Northside DAS volunteers may like to comment on a proposed new dog park. Please also pass this information to others who would be interested. There is important news about Christmas/New Year hours. Please let Simon Tadd know if you will be away so your volunteer period can be covered. And don’t forget the Christmas party. Details have been sent to volunteers. Seasons Greetings and Happy Volunteering! Di Johnstone DAS Volunteer and Editor DAS Welcomes New KennelmasterThe Territory and Municipal Services Directorate is pleased to welcome a new full time Kennelmater at Domestic Animal Services (DAS). Attila Fenyvesi, commonly known by the nickname Oddie, commenced at DAS on 1 November 2012 and will be working at the facility on a full-time basis from Monday to Friday. Oddie has lived in Canberra all his life and prior to working at DAS, was a peer support worker in mental health at the Woden Community Centre. Prior to that, Oddie worked in the building industry, where he learnt a number of useful handyman skills that he will be able to bring to DAS and use to attend to odd jobs that may need doing around the facility. Oddie has had a variety of dogs all his life and his current pet is a six year old fox terrier named ‘Jindie’. Oddie is used to dealing with dogs and his employment as a Kennelmaster will release Rangers from that task and allow them to concentrate on other compliance related activities. Oddie is a welcome addition to the team and his application to the role has already made a noticeable difference at the facility. Peter Dinan, Registrar, Domestic Animal Services A new dog park - have YOUR say!Good news! TAMS is proposing a new off-leash dog park of around 1.3 hectares for the inner north with potential sites under consideration at Russell (Grevillea Park) , O’Connor (area enclosed by Barry Drive/Fairfax Street/Dryandra Street) and North Lyneham (off Ellenborough Street). Details are on www.timetotalk.act.gov.au under “community engagements”. Dog owners, especially on the northside, are warmly encouraged to check out the sites and express a view on the best location, and any other relevant issues. The consultation closes on 11 January 2013. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend”by Susan OrleanPublished by Simon and SchusterRin Tin Tin is probably the world’s most famous dog. Those who watched him on screen will recall daring feats of catching baddies, leaping high walls and over chasms and loyally supporting the hero/heroine. The real story of Rin Tin Tin is almost as unlikely as some of the movie plots. In WW1 an American soldier, Lee Duncan, with a passion for dogs and his own sad history of abandonment, found German Shepherd puppies in a barn on a battlefield in France. He rescued the first Rin Tin Tin, and smuggled him back into the US. Lee cared for his dog with enormous devotion and trained Rin Tin Tin to do complicated tasks. He then persuaded a big movie studio to make his dog a movie star. Rin Tin Tin became one of the biggest stars of the silent movie era and successor Rin Tin Tins appeared in a long-running children’s television show. The author, a New Yorker journalist, has traced the history and legend through many twists and turns. There are insights, too, into the competition with that other famous TV dog star, Lassie. Well researched and sensitively written, the book is an absolute must-read for dog lovers. DAS volunteer profile: Sylvie SternI was first introduced to DAS through my radio show on 2xxFM. I was so touched by the amazing work that walkers and foster carers do that I decided then and there that I too would become involved, and the DAS Volunteer Dog Walking Program sounded like a good way to begin. I have been walking dogs at DAS for 18 months now and absolutely love it. The gratitude and affection that we receive from the dogs as we help them let off steam, smell the breeze and have a cuddle is immeasurable. There are some really lovely dogs at DAS looking for caring new homes and we help them feel a little love along the way. Ask the Registrar??Why are some DAS dogs transferred “from another shelter”? Are these dogs from the RSPCA? By virtue of the current Service Level Agreement, DAS and the RSPCA can exchange dogs, depending on capacity constraints.
Why are some dogs only able to be walked in the yards? This is usually due to health concerns for the dog, its age or that it is a bitch in heat; this means there is an inappropriate risk for the dog to be walked outside the facility.
Who walks the seized dogs? Dogs in the seized area have a separate exercise yard where owners or DAS staff can exercise them. Many of these dogs have been involved in incidents that make them an unsafe risk to be walked by volunteers. 2013 ARF CalendarThe 2013 ACT Rescue & Foster (ARF) calendar features many doggy superstars, including sweet Emma-Lee (featured in a previous Doglovers newsletter). The calendar superstars were photographed at a number of Canberra heritage sites, celebrating the city’s Centenary. At $10 each, the calendar is a bargain and a great Christmas gift for a doglover. For details see www.fosterdogs.org Dogs protecting Australia’s bordersArticle provided by Australian Customs and Border Protection Service MediaAustralian Customs and Border Protection Detector Dogs play a significant role in protecting our border to help stop illicit drugs, precursors, firearms and weapons entering Australia. In 2011, detector dog teams attended more than 24,000 tasks and contributed to finds of 694 illicit imports and exports with a total weight of 432 kilograms. Detector Dogs are used to locate prohibited imports and exports at Australia’s border. Teams are tasked to operational areas as a result of risk based intelligence. The Detector Dog teams assist in targeted operations such as search warrants and also work in operational areas screening passengers, internal mail, air and sea cargo, vessels and aircrafts. Glenn Scutts, Director Detector Dog Program said, “The Detector Dog Program has evolved significantly since its beginning in 1960, where suitable dogs were selected from animal shelters, pounds and private homes.” “By the early 1990s, the Customs and Border Protection Breeding Dog Program was developed to produce a high quality supply of dogs,” Glenn Scutts said. Labrador breed: After intensive research, the Labrador was selected as the most suitable breed to perform the tasks required for Customs and Border Protection. The Labrador was selected for its focus, versatility and strong hunt-and-retrieve drives. Breeding of the dogs are guided significantly by research findings and recommendations from the University of Melbourne and Guide Dogs Victoria. Customs and Border Protection implemented a breeding strategy which included: animals with suitable traits and physical qualities are selected for test matings; advancement to proven breeder status is based on performance records; this process was achieved by quickly replacing most bred stock with the best of their progeny; and inbreeding coefficients are monitored to maintain gene pool integrity. Outcross bloodlines required periodically are diligently selected and test mated; juvenile canines are exposed to a variety of environmental stimuli and human imprinting from birth in recognition of their early ability to adapt their body chemistry to suit the demands of the environment into which they have been born; a foster home scenario was adopted as the most efficient avenue for juveniles with carers socialising them to the sights and sounds of urban environments; and Customs and Border Protection staff monitor the pups monthly delivering exercises to stimulate desired traits and drives. Hunt exercises are delivered quarterly as are temperament evaluations in a variety of challenging areas. All are performance recorded and poor performers are removed from the program generally at or after six months of age. Training: Customs and Border Protection begins developing and training Detector Dogs virtually immediately and this continues whilst they are fostered out to public homes. During the first 12 months, the dogs undertake periodic assessments and are monitored for desired traits. Pups meeting these criteria undergo further rigorous training. If successful, they go on to complete a 13 week Detector Dog Team course. During this course, the dogs (along with Trainee Handlers),are taught to search for a variety of target odours in environments such as bags, parcels, letters, freight and vehicles. Upon successful completion of the course, the team is subjected to four months on the job training. After these four months the team undertakes its final assessment which is conducted by senior instructional staff should they pass this final assessment then they return to their operational unit where they will deploy as a Detector Dog team. Working in a Detector Dog Unit: Working within a Customs and Border Protection Dog Unit provides diverse experiences. In one day alone, a handler and dog team could search over 1,000 passengers and bags, presenting new challenges and different work environments. A handler forms a strong bond with its partnered Detector Dog, achieving success as one. Brett Matthews, Senior Instructor, Detector Dog Program, Australian Customs and Border Protection, said working as a dog handler is extremely rewarding. “As training involves countless hours of repetitious training, it is personally satisfying when your dog detects something that has been purposely concealed to avoid detection”, said Brett Matthews.“Customs and Border Protection’s commitment to breeding, training and the deployment of Detector Dogs has resulted in the program becoming recognised worldwide. With the assistance of our Detector Dog teams, Customs and Border Protection officers are able to detect prohibited goods in a timely and efficient manner,” Glenn Scutts said. Did you know…Humans have on average 0.5m² of membranes and 5 million scent receptors in their nose. In comparison there are 7m² of membranes and 220 million scent receptors in a dog’s nose. This is why dogs are a great detection tool. The biggest recent detection involving Customs and Border Protection Detector Dog teams was 216kg of drugs detected in a shipping container at the Sydney Container Examination Facility. Customs and Border Protection has 51 Detector Dogs Teams. In March 2012, the National Detector Dog Facility was opened in Bulla; it covers 8.9 hectares and provides approximately 3,330m² of dog kennels. DASNEWSParvo-free: In very good news, the DAS facility has been parvo free for two years. This is a positive outcome of DAS’ policy of vaccinating all impounded dogs.
Summer danger for dogsOn a summer’s day a parked car can reach dangerously high temperatures. Leaving your dog inside a parked car for even the shortest period of time could end in tragedy. It only takes minutes for a dog to die from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Even with the car window open the heat inside a parked car could still seriously damage its health. Dogs have a coat and only sweat through their paws and they overheat very quickly. Whether going to the shops or heading out to a party, please do leave your dog at home with plenty of shade and water Directory: data -> assets -> word doc -> 0003 0003 -> Finding Solutions Program guidelines February 2012 0003 -> Relative Justice 0003 -> A helpful hand from Technology in the teritary environment 0003 -> Applying for Screening Information on Browser Compatibility for tls 0003 -> Esps Contact Details Sites 0003 -> Road Smart Teacher Toolkit 0003 -> What is apsedii? 0003 -> CityLink Tulla Widening 0003 -> Working Paper 1: future trends and mass transit 2050 Download 24.04 Kb. Share with your friends:
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