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BULLSEYE Feature 7April 15, 2016
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K-9, from page 6______________ “It’s almost like your own kid. You work U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes COST, from page 2 ______________
like a team; without you the dog can’t do
both as far as narcotics and explosive- its job and vice versa. You grow that bond Staff Sgt. Adrian Alvarez, 99th Security In our increasingly resource-con-
ness,” said Alvarez. “The reason being and it’s hard to sometimes remember Forces Squadron military working dog strained environment, that “get ‘er done”
is if the dog were to sit the handler that the dog is a military working dog handler, runs with ‘PJ’, 99th SFS military mentality is not always sufficient. As leaders
wouldn’t know if it had detected a bomb, and not yours because the bond is so working dog, during a MWD demonstration and supervisors, we have to clearly define
explosive or drugs. You will find a dog strong. at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., April 7. While our priorities. Likewise, as subordinates,
that is narcotic and patrol or explosive demonstrations serve as a good way we have to inform our leadership so they
detection and patrol but never explosive “At the end of the day your dog is a to display and inform the public of the understand the true costs of the priorities
and narcotic detection.” reflection of you. If your dog is out there capabilities of MWDs, they only highlight they set.
kicking butt and doing what is has to do, a very small portion of their mission and
After the dog passes their certifica- it shows that the handler knows what he capabilities of the handler and the dog. Think about your own experience. Has
tions, they have to wait anywhere from is doing. If not, it’s a negative reflection your supervisor ever assigned you a hot task
15 to 60 days before they are stationed at on the handler. You complement each that impacted your ability to accomplish
their new base. other.” another key project or task? Did you explain
these impacts to your supervisor? Did you
“Once at the base, it’s kind of a little With a heightened sensitivity of smell, just assume the hot task was now your No.
reset for the dog,” said Hinds. “We teach a military working dog is able to sniff out 1 priority and assume your supervisor ac-
the dog a little bit more of the basic tasks the slightest trace of explosive material cepted the impacts? Rarely do we take the
and make sure that they remember it or narcotics. This makes the military time to ask these questions or engage in
because just like a human if you don’t working dog unit indispensable to the this dialogue with our leadership, but we
practice something you will forgot. So Air Force. should.
we spin the dog back up and get them to
what we associate as a three-level. “There is no machine that can replace Perhaps your supervisor isn’t aware that
what a dog does,” said Hinds. “The only your key project will be delayed. Had he/
“From there, a team will certify within thing the dog can lose is proficiency. We she understood this impact, perhaps they
60 days and once they meet the certifica- do so much training with them we are would have assigned the hot task to some-
tion standards that’s when they get into able detect that before it ever becomes one else or decided the hot task wasn’t so
more of the advanced work.” an issue in the field. A dog is better than hot. Alternatively, they may simply thank
a machine any day of the week and they you for informing them but decide to pro-
It is also during this time that the are loyal.” ceed with the hot task anyway. Either way,
crucial relationship between handler it’s your responsibility to help your chain of
and dog starts to form. It is a relationship The constant training coupled with command make fully informed decisions.
built on trust as both the handler and dog the unique bond between handler and If we embrace this mindset, we’ll more
depend on each other. dog is what allows the 99th SFS military effectively accomplish our mission, vision
working dog unit to be mission ready and and priorities.
“The relationship between a handler consistently perform at the highest level.
and his dog is awesome,” said Alvarez.
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