FEATURES BUDDY, BUDDY
The two brothers, who joined the RAF Police less than 18 months ago, came from a difficult background, but they are already making a name for themselves…
T
he military has always had proud traditions of families following each other into service and also offering a
chance to make more out of life. Both are true for this pair of new additions to the RAF Police Section in the Falkland Islands.
The pair have proved themselves in the short space of time to be policing experts, with a gift for finding and detaining intruders; not afraid to deal with trouble; to work well as a team and on their own, and to respond enthusiastically to any orders given. It is obvious that the RAF is the place for them and that they have very bright futures.
But what makes these brothers really special is that they each have four legs and a tail. Flint and Fitz, are two Belgian Malinois. The dogs were adopted into the military working dog puppy development programme at the
Defence Animal Centre alongside another brother, Frank, and sister, Flo, at five months old after they were rescued by the RSPCA.
In the one haul the RSPCA took in a group of 60 dogs confiscated from a rogue breeder. And it proved a true second chance for the family of puppies. The RSPCA had tried to re- home them as pets but their high work drive and energetic nature was such that people were unable to control them or keep them within their homes, so the pet option for these pups became out of the question.
However, it is just these same traits that made them unruly as pets that make them ideally suited to the potential for military service and they were accepted into the UK Forces’ programme despite being more than twice the usual age for dogs entering training.
After being tested for a number of disciplines Flo was selected to be a police dog, while the
three brothers were put through training as protection dogs.
Instruction started in earnest using positive reinforcement based training. This type of training turns objectives into a game for the dogs. While it is fun for the dogs, the level required is still exceptionally high. Flint, Fitz and Frank were required to prove themselves at several stages of training. First they had to show that they had enough potential to learn and develop from puppies into full working dogs. Next they were moved onto a training course where they were expected to regularly show development in their obedience and ‘bite-work’ – keeping to a strict timetable.
Lastly the boys were put through two ‘pass out’ testing programmes, showing their ability to find a person, and chase and bite, if they proved to be hostile. They were also required to perform full obedience demonstrations, confirming a high level of control and athleticism on and off the lead.
After proving themselves as capable dogs across the board, Flint and Fitz were selected to boost the number of dogs used by the RAF in the Falkland Islands to defend the valuable assets operating there.
The brave lads now stand out as two of the best police dogs on the Islands. Not content with professional success, they also represented the RAF at the Stanley Dog Trials, with Flint taking first place and Fitz coming third.
14 Envoy Winter 2013
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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