In early 2024 we hope to welcome the newest member of our team. She’s only two-years old but she’s spent most of her young life in training, and she comes with some great recommendations. Current colleagues note her ‘play drive potential’, and ‘focus and drive for toy’.
These are important qualities in a colleague – when your colleague is a dog. A black Cocker Spaniel to be precise, and she will be joining our team in a few months as a detection dog to help locate any remaining ferrets. With all our technology, humans still don’t have a more cost-effective way to detect animals at low densities than a well-trained dog.
Training a detection dog team
We must ensure our dog has good habits and will reliably point to suspected ferrets or rats. Our new dog will only ever be used to detect animals and then indicate where they are. Usually by sitting on site so her fellow LIFE Raft team member can check for signs. This is what months of training will teach her.
Her new handler, Michael Rafferty, LIFE Raft Ferret Trapping Co-ordinator, will be waiting for her when she arrives.
Michael says: “I can’t wait to meet my new canine partner. She will be my first detection dog and training alongside her will be a pretty amazing perk of the job! Hopefully after this project we’ll be able to help on other conservation projects as well, so this little dog may well go on to help save native wildlife around the UK and Ireland – or even further.”
Training a dog takes time and effort. Before we meet her and she becomes part of the team, she needs to finish up her training and she needs to pass her exams. Michael also needs to be put through his paces. Amongst other new skills, Michael will learn all about working canine care; Health and Safety for himself, the public and the dog; how to prepare a detection dog to tasks; conducting detection dog tasks; and canine First Aid.
This is why we won’t be able to welcome her to Rathlin any sooner. We are wishing them both the best of luck.
What’s in a name?
You may have noticed that we haven’t yet mentioned the dog’s name. This is because we want her name to come from the Rathlin community, and this week we have opened a submissions box in the Rathlin Co-Op shop for people to suggest their ideas for the dog’s name.
After 27 October we will pick our top five favourites and put them to an island-wide vote.
We will reveal her name in early November. Until then, we wish her the best of luck in her exams – fingers (and paws) crossed!