STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — Every month, Tim Matthews
visits animal shelters in various states in a search for dogs that can
do law enforcement or emergency work. He is looking for dogs that can be
trained to detect prohibited items such as explosives and drugs, or
help in search and rescue operations.
The key, apparently, is to spot the dogs that
are obsessed with "toys," whether it's a ball, a pine cone or a rock.
Toys become the animals' reward for a job accomplished.
A fixation with chasing down toys also reflects
the high drive and energy needed to become a successful detection dog,
said Matthews, who entered the "recruitment" business with his wife,
Kellee Matthews, in 2013. That same year, the couple opened the South
Dakota Canine Center in Sturgis, which also offered pet training and
boarding.
The country's need for detection dogs is
growing, Tim Matthews told the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/2o5Ofbb
), citing as an example the increasing number of bomb sniffers at
airports. It's important to identify shelter dogs that are suitable for
the job to prevent backyard breeders from filling the demand, he said.
"Backyard breeders aren't quality breeders most
of the time. They'll breed with bad hips, they're not aware of a lot of
issues," said Tim, 59, a licensed guide dog instructor. "The dogs that
don't make it, they'll only end up in the pound."
Shelters are already home to some very talented
dogs, the couple said, including those that can go into the detection
business. These animals end up in the pound because the very nature that
makes them excellent detectors — such as great athleticism and
compulsive behavior — also makes them unsuitable as family pets, said
Kellee, 49.
But finding detection dogs in shelters is not easy.
The Matthews said that for every 2,000 dogs Tim
sees, only one will end up with a career in detection. In the past three
years, Tim said he has found 200 candidates after scouring 200 animal
shelters in 10 states, including the Humane Society of the Black Hills
in Rapid City.
About 10 percent of the recruits did not make it
through the couple's screening process, and the dogs were matched with
families after undergoing pet training.
Some candidates lose their drive during the
Matthews' two-month evaluation period at their training center, a
19-acre property in southern Sturgis. Others do not get the necessary
medical clearances that ensure a dog has the build and stamina for years
on the job.
Those that pass this point are then matched with
various law enforcement and emergency agencies nationwide, which train
the dogs for specific assignments. Most of them, Kellee said, are
Labrador retrievers and mixes of Labrador, Border collies, golden
retrievers, German shepherds and English pointers.
The Matthews say their recruits have gone on to
work around the country and around the world, including as explosives
detectors at the U.S. Embassy in Iraqi and with a New York law
enforcement agency, as well as one that helped with search and rescue
after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
"The Matthews have been one of the best couples
to provide those dogs," said Wilma Melville, founder of the National
Disaster Search Dogs Foundation in California. "They're just very good
at screening dogs and Tim is very good at locating them in shelters."
Another business associate commended the couple's dedication to their recruitment work.
"They're saving a dog, but they're also saving
many lives," said Julie Case of the Ultimate Canine training center in
Indiana. She described their work as selfless, especially since the
Matthews don't get paid much.
When the dogs have found their work assignments,
only then are Tim and Kellee paid for their work. They receive an
average of $1,500 per dog, an amount that covers two months of boarding
and training, veterinary expenses, as well as Tim's travel expenses for
hotels, gas and food.
Next, Tim is heading to four towns in Wyoming to
do his monthly round of animal shelters. The trip might not produce any
detection dogs, but such is the work required to find what Kellee
describes as "diamonds in the rough."
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-dakota/articles/2017-04-15/south-dakota-man-takes-on-task-of-finding-detection-dogs
No comments :
Post a Comment