The White Falcon - 15.01.1993, Blaðsíða 6

Dog days at Naval Air Station Security
Story and photos by
J02 Colleen “Ghostwrter” Casper
Dog life isn’t always easy! While most
dogs at the base have the easy life with the
comforts of home, there are two who work
for a living. “Tiger” and “Rocky”, six and
three-years-old, respectively, protect the in-
terests and assets of the base. This is done
under the watchful eye of the dogs’ working
partner, the trainer. Two trainers assigned to
Security’s Military Working Dog Shop at
Naval Air Station, Keflavfk are MAI Rich-
ard A. Hewitt and MA3 Brian S. Williams.
With the help of their assistant, BT2Mikeal
A. Dupnik, the handlers are responsible for
four hours of daily training beyond their nor-
nal duties.
Handlers must spend lengthy amounts of time training the dogs, which includes run-
ning through the obstacle course.
“It is nice to have a part-
ner who does not talk
back...” MAI Hewitt
What if there is a suspect in a vehicle that
has just been involved in a collision? The-
dogs are taught how to approach the scene-
and to take control of the situation so that the
suspect does not escape.
“Halt, before I release my dog! Halt,
before I release my dog! Halt before I release
my dog,” is what you might hear a trainer say
in a real life situation. If the suspect does not
obey, the dog is released with orders to stop
the person. The dog will let up when the
suspect gives up but he will not let the suspect
outofsightormind. This is the situation until
one of the trainers arrives at the scene and
gives new orders.
Hewitt, the kennel supervisor, enjoys his
job. “It is really nice to have a reliable partner
who does not talk back. The dogs take care of
their trainers and we take care of them. Nine
times out of ten, it is the dogs who are taking
care of us,” he said.
In order to become a trainer, a person must
attend a six-week dog handlers course in
Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Williams,
the top graduate of his class stated, “School
was physically rigorous and mentally chal-
lenging.”
The dogs are taught skills such as how to
patrol, climb stairs, jump and hurdle over
objects, even to walk on narrow surfaces and
to crawl. Personnel detection is also an im-
portant part of the dogs training.
Hewitt stated, “There is a close-knit rela-
tionship between the trainer and the dog in-
volving time, rapport, patience and under-
standing. The dogs are utilized as tools, but
in the same aspect, the dog is my partner. I
do get attached.
“I enjoy the challenge of the job and I like
working together with the dogs. The biggest
reward is doing the job right and having a
positive impact on the community. You’re
maintaining a positive deterrance and you
gain respect for that,” said Hewitt. “Training
and maintaining the dogs are comparable to
taking care of children. You must be patient
and teach them properly.
“Our biggest problem we face is people
think the dogs are gentle. They are, but they
are trained to protect the handler. They have
bad days too. It is advisable that people stay
at least 10 feet away from the dogs,” Hewitt
said.
All work and no play is not productive Sam
any human or dog. Tiger and Rocky t
time out for fun after a hard work day, t^J
Late in the afternoon the dogs play catch with
their trainers or even a friendly game of
chase.
Customs Rules
When the customs officer comes to your home to out process you, there are a few rules
that should be kept in mind. The following items cannot be shipped from Iceland'
according to customs laws.
-Alcohol.
-Prescription drugs/medications, narcotics, dangerous drugs, and controlled substances.
-Tobacco leaves, plants, bulbs, roots, trees, shrubs, dried or undried plants or flowers, hay
and other parts of plants.
-Soils.
-Government equipment unless you have a receipt of purchase.
-Ammunition, pyrotechnics, explosive devices, silencers for weapons.
-Spring action knives.
-Wood infested with termites or wood borers.
-Unsterilized seashells/rocks.
-Pornography. Customs consdiers pornography anything that shows penetration, sex
with animals or minors.
-Any item made with any endangered species (stuffed puffin, arctic gulls, sealskins, shale
teeth, polar bear skins, etc.).
-Seditious or treasonable material.
-Products made by a convict or a forced or indentured laborer.
-Firearms require specific documentation and forms. For more information call tifl
Customs office at ext. 2796. ^
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The White Falcon