# Does the CF use Shepherds?



## p_imbeault (20 Mar 2008)

Just wondering if the CF uses any shepherds (belgian/german) for explosive detection? I know they are used by other countries for this and narcotic detection in police/secruity forces.


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## molsonman (29 Mar 2008)

Combat engineers might for esplosive detection.


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## X-mo-1979 (29 Mar 2008)

No.
We don't have k-9 capability.Its been covered here in other threads however.

If we had a trade that did use k-9's I would be all over it.


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## TN2IC (29 Mar 2008)

MP's have them for drug searching. As for explosive detection and engineer stuff.. that is a combat arm subject... This is CSS bud.  ;D


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## NL_engineer (29 Mar 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> If we had a trade that did use k-9's I would be all over it.





			
				Sgt  Schultz said:
			
		

> MP's have them for drug searching. As for explosive detection and engineer stuff.. that is a combat arm subject... This is CSS bud.  ;D



Looks like you better started on your OT, X mo  ;D

I wish we did have our own explosive dogs, but you can't get everything you want  :'(


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## X-mo-1979 (29 Mar 2008)

Sgt  Schultz said:
			
		

> MP's have them for drug searching. As for explosive detection and engineer stuff.. that is a combat arm subject... This is CSS bud.  ;D



I thought that was hired out to local police?Every time I've seen the drug dogs they have been OPP here.
Got anything I can see on that?I've not heard of it!Really love to see some info man!



			
				NL_engineer said:
			
		

> Looks like you better started on your OT, X mo  ;D



Dog handler has to be the coolest job ever!OT....not yet.


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## aesop081 (29 Mar 2008)

When i was on my first tour ( Croatia 1994-95) we worked with a group of South African civilians who used dogs for landmine detection. They had 2 German Shepherds and 2 cocker Spaniels (sp ?) and the later worked far better.


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## X-mo-1979 (29 Mar 2008)

I worked with some Brit MP's they had border collies.One had gold plated K-9 teeth...pretty cool looking.

Does anyone have any inof on the MP's having dogs now?I didnt think we did.


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## George Wallace (29 Mar 2008)

Catching this in mid sentence, so to say, I was wondering what you were all going on about.  When I was a kid in northern France, 1 (F) Wing, Marville, the RCAF hired French Shepherds to keep the grass 'cut' on the airfield.  Guess I got it all wrong, after reading the original post.


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## QV (30 Mar 2008)

My understanding is that there is a drug dog in Esquimalt and a general purpose dog in Halifax.  I did see the Esquimalt dog last fall it's a chocolate lab.  I don't know if either is still employed or not though.


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## Blackadder1916 (30 Mar 2008)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Catching this in mid sentence, so to say, I was wondering what you were all going on about.  When I was a kid in northern France, 1 (F) Wing, Marville, the RCAF hired French Shepherds to keep the grass 'cut' on the airfield.  Guess I got it all wrong, after reading the original post.



I had the same impression when I saw the title, only I connected it to Lahr.  After we closed the runway, a flock of sheep (with a German Shepherd) was used for grass control on the far side.  The BOpsO used to say, as this came under him, he was now the BSheepO.  Obviously, some jokes were made that it was actually his harem.


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## geo (30 Mar 2008)

LFQA uses Police dogs (RCMP & SQ) for drug issues.

It's a sad state of affairs when you consider that the CF, up until the late 50s was an authority on military dog handiling (K9).  Old CAMT manuals are probably all that remains of that expertise though..... sad state of affairs IMHO.


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## X-mo-1979 (30 Mar 2008)

So are these two dog's permant?So we have one at each naval base but it looks like the army bases still depend on RCMP and provincial police.

I figured they would be avertising this on army news or something,as if we really do finally have dog's again it would be really cool.


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## NCRCrow (30 Mar 2008)

CFB HALIFAX MP's have a drug dog named Lahr.

Canada Customs has nice dogs!


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## X-mo-1979 (30 Mar 2008)

Freakin cool!

I didn't find anything on Lahr (what ol bastard named him!!lol)

However I found a bit on Roxie,the K-9 on the warmer shore.

page 3.

http://www.lookoutnewspaper.com/archive/20080114/Lookout_Newspaper_2.08.pdf


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## X-mo-1979 (30 Mar 2008)

A good idea from the base commander.Well done sir! 

Should cut down on drug use in the area,knowing a drug dog could walk around the base,around car's,shacks,at anytime.


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## TN2IC (30 Mar 2008)

HFXCrow said:
			
		

> CFB HALIFAX MP's have a drug dog named Lahr.
> 
> Canada Customs has nice dogs!



He"ll scare the poop out of you when you walk by the SUV! I still think a part of me is still on NB Jetty.  ;D


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## NCRCrow (30 Mar 2008)

The name was chosen as the Lahr was the last place , the MP's had dogs.


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## TN2IC (30 Mar 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> A good idea from the base commander.Well done sir!
> 
> Should cut down on drug use in the area,knowing a drug dog could walk around the base,around car's,shacks,at anytime.




If it was Stadacona ... it would just hang out at Timmies like the rest of the Navy....  ;D


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## garb811 (4 Apr 2008)

The "official" trial dog is Lahr, I believe Roxie is the cause of a "cease and desist" instruction from the CFPM to guardhouses running "local" trials until the final decision is made.  If the decision is to get back into the dog business full time, the intent is to get dogs into theater.

Since I've been in, I've known/heard of 3 dogs being used before Lahr and Roxie, most of them on the handlers own initiative.  Not sure about the ones in Pet and Trenton but Zantos in Edmonton was a Shepard.

We can and do call on local police dogs when required.  It's usually not too much of an issue as the dog handlers love any work they can get.


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## Haggis (16 Jul 2008)

Geez, and I thought this thread had something to do with Highlanders and thier drinking companions.


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## Spanky (16 Jul 2008)

Haggis said:
			
		

> Geez, and I thought this thread had something to do with Highlanders and thier drinking companions.



As did I.  "All this and wool too!" ;D


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## geo (16 Jul 2008)

Pure virgin wool..... from "Ugh"ly sheep  8)


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## medicineman (16 Jul 2008)

We used to use human shepherds for mine detection at one point - if they wouldn't graze their sheep somewhere, we thought twice about going in there.  I did actually suggest we get some sheep for the engineers when I was in Croatia in the 90's - send them out, and if they blow up, you know there is something out there AND you have fresh rations afterwards.  When they did actually ask for dogs, all hell broke loose back home from the animal rights nazis - it was apparently ok for our dudes/ettes to get blown up, but not the dogs...

MM


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## karl28 (17 Jul 2008)

medicineman  

              Well that would be the loonie left for you in not making sense .  This in regards to the above post


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## Eye In The Sky (17 Jul 2008)

I've only seen MPs with a German Shepperd once, in the H lines, Gagetown, December 1992.  Some of the boys had those funny smokes, had smoked them and shortly there after MP guy with pup showed up.  It was a big mean looking sucker too (the dog).

I was at the club at Wicker House on Fort Knox in Feb 2001, and there was a K-9 MP in the bar, with the dog.  Its too bad we didn't have these!


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## Jaydub (17 Jul 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> Freakin cool!
> 
> I didn't find anything on Lahr (what ol ******* named him!!lol)
> 
> ...



I've met Roxie.

Her handler was on my PLQ course.  He brought her into the classroom and told us all about her.


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## medicineman (17 Jul 2008)

karl28 said:
			
		

> medicineman
> 
> Well that would be the loonie left for you in not making sense .  This in regards to the above post



Kinda like how the above statement made sense to me?  I'll spell it out for you - a shepherd is something/someone that herds and guards sheep - ergo a human shepherd (or more commonly shortened to just "shepherd") is a person who herds sheep around and looks after them - people you find a great deal of in the Former Yugoslavia.  They were a vital HUMINT factor for us in preventing death/bodily or vehicular destruction by land mine over there.  If they wouldn't graze their sheep somewhere, there was a damn good reason usually.  

A German Shepherd is a breed of dog originally bred to help humans herd and guard sheep and are also used for other things, like herding/guarding/handling humans (police work/guide dogs), sniffing out stuff (explosives, drugs, people/parts of people), and a multitude of other functions due to it's loyalty, size, intelligence and abillity to adapt to being trained.  Other dogs are in fact used for the same sort of things, some of which have the word "shepherd" in the name of the breed (or sheep dog).  In reference to the above paragraph, as our engineer troop cleared probably more roads/paths than an entire regiment did during the Normandy breakout, and we had a fair number of casualties resulting from mines (and the stress on the troops that sort of work incurs), many of which were buried too deep for standard detectors, they'd asked for some such animals to assist in demining because there was less risk to humans.  Since we had no such animals in the CF at the time, outside help had to be sought - none arrived it seemed due to publicity issues.

I'm explaining in this fashion, as it would appear that you either didn't understand what I wrote in response to "Does the CF use Shepherds" and/or you don't share my sense of humour.  If the former, hope that helped; if the latter, oh well, I thought it was at least a little amusing.

Cheers.

MM


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## danchapps (17 Jul 2008)

medicineman said:
			
		

> and if they blow up, you know there is something out there AND you have fresh rations afterwards.



Not only fresh, but pre-cooked too! (Or am I going over the line on this one?)


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## MedTechStudent (17 Jul 2008)

Chapeski said:
			
		

> Not only fresh, but pre-cooked too! (Or am I going over the line on this one?)



I had a pet sheep once....... named Timothy.  :crybaby:


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## karl28 (17 Jul 2008)

medicineman   
           
            I am sorry for the confusion .  I actually thought  in regards to what you posted was funny .
My response was when you stated about the animal rights people getting upset and to me they are the same as the loonie left and the loonie left hardly ever makes sense in any of the arguments LOL .    I hope that helps clears up my original post  that's what I get for posting before  I had my first cup of coffee .  


Cheers Karl


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## medicineman (20 Jul 2008)

karl28 said:
			
		

> medicineman
> 
> I am sorry for the confusion .  I actually thought  in regards to what you posted was funny .
> My response was when you stated about the animal rights people getting upset and to me they are the same as the loonie left and the loonie left hardly ever makes sense in any of the arguments LOL .    I hope that helps clears up my original post  that's what I get for posting before  I had my first cup of coffee .
> ...



No probs - sorry came off a little irked - things didn't make much sense until now.  

TTFN.

MM


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## karl28 (24 Jul 2008)

medicineman  

                     Glad  to here that you got that last message . Last thing I want to do is offend some one any how have a good one . Also next time  I post I will make sure that its after I had my morning coffee I tend to make more sense than  


Cheers Karl


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## medicineman (25 Jul 2008)

Lol - cheers dude.

MM


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## X-mo-1979 (22 Aug 2008)

Just getting back from Munster,I couldnt believe the amount of dogs patrolling that base.Most looked to be civilian contractors under seimens,none the less a deterrent from anyone tresspassing on the base.


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## Guy L (25 Aug 2008)

I know for a fact that my last few tours in Bosnia, when we still had a Battle Group there, we didhave at least 10 soldiers trained as Dog handlers, these dogs were mainly German Shepherds, I say yes we do train and use them on all aspects that were brought up.

Guy
   
RCR 30 years


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