Page 343 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Working Dog and handler conducting an operational task in the UK becoming contaminated when the dog ran through an unknown substance. Both were “distressed” with burning eyes and coughing. Once again immediate action drills of “Remove, Remove, Remove” were initiated, dry decon conducted, and the dog and handler were successfully put through a space age looking mobile decontamination unit.
Safety was paramount during the scenarios, and it was determined right at the start that the exercise should not be distressing for the animals involved. One of the DATRs Veterinary Officers, Lt Karen Pettit, kept an eagle eye on both scenarios and her brief was to halt training should there be any signs of distress. Thankfully the animals either exhibited excitement (the dog) or mild disinterest (the horses)!
Overall, the day was a fantastic first step to see what realistic decontamination looks like in animals. The focus was on “can it be done?” to which the answer was a resounding... yes! The next steps may involve asking the question, if we did it, how well was it done? Having decontaminated the animals, are they truly clear of the substance?
Our thanks – for a truly innovative, interesting, and enjoyable day – must go to observers from Dstl, DEFRA, the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Association and James Marman for helping to set up the day. And, of course, the amazing members of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.60
Break out:
We can reminisce and re-live the good times as well as review the times that sometimes didn’t always make sense – but we continued to do our duty. Throughout all the open days, parades and warm welcomes for colleagues and VIPs, the hard facts controlling the use of Military Working Animals has always been present.
For perspective, here is a reflection on the facts and figures:
Facts and Figures (2002 – 2021)
The DATR no longer calculates the cost of a MWD and its training – nowadays, a different methodology is used. This means that comparisons with figures from 2001 are of little value. Costs have clearly risen in proportion over recent years and many dogs (not all) are purchased from Europe due to difficulty in procuring suitable dogs from the UK. The average cost of a potential AES dog from Europe is approximately four thousand euros, a typical PAT dog five thousand euros and a Police dog about six thousand-five hundred euros.
While many may think this is very expensive
compared to other technologies purchased and maintained by the MoD, the costs of a MWD are very modest indeed and with the right training, the end product – which saves life and limb – is very cost effective when compared to the human suffering which is thwarted by Search dogs locating IEDs ahead of our UK soldiers on Operations. Further ‘Facts and Figures’ re MWDs can be found in the chapter RAVC Technical Matters – The Animals’ Advocate.
2020...Saluting the Human – Animal Bond Canine Enrichment
Like humans, dogs too can also suffer from stress and anxiety. Mental health is a much talked about and important subject amongst humans, but it also applies to working dogs. This is called canine welfare.
A study by Rooney et al, in 2016 found that military working dogs with high levels of anxiety didn’t perform as well on tasks set to them by their handlers. Studies also found that dogs with high levels of anxiety and stress, much like humans, were also prone to illness.
Canine enrichment is the act of providing low-level risk activities in which the dog actively wants to participate both inside and outside of the kennel environment. The use of canine enrichment is to aid in reducing behavioural problems and stress in dogs that are lacking in appropriate stimulation. Stimulation includes both mental and physical. In his book, Shay Kelly (2018) found there to be ...
5 elements to canine enrichment.
These elements never stand alone; there is always some degree of overlap for example food enrichment may also be acting on the need to perform natural behaviours, such as chewing or sniffing.
Safe environment: both dog and handler need to have a safe environment for the dog to get a more enriching experience. This is particularly important for Military Working Dogs because even though they are training for dangerous scenarios, the dog needs to feel confident. If the MWDs didn’t have a safe environment they would then become anxious, stressed and possibly scared to do the task set out before them, whether that’s chasing and biting an intruder or searching for ammunition and explosives. The more confident a MWD is in certain tasks, the more the handler can then start to make these tasks more complicated, but always making sure the dog is working in a safe environment.
Food enrichment: food offers an infinite way to enrich dogs. But there is a common misconception that dogs only get enrichment from eating food. Dogs
60 ‘Animal Decontamination Day – First steps in Solving an Unknown Threat’ by Major Drew Tootal RAVC, Chiron Calling Spring 2020.
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