Cpl Ryan Sandeman, 44 MP Pl, is attacked by a military working dog during training at Oakey. Photo by Pte Simone Heyer, Army newspaper

Getting a taste of his pal

By Pte Simone Heyer
Specialist units reporter

THERE are days when it would be great to take your four-legged friend to work.

Sgt Michael Pimm never has these days — he is lucky enough to have his faithful friend already on base.

Sgt Pimm is a military working dog handler, based at 44 MP Pl in Oakey, his job as acting SM reflects his deep knowledge and pure love of working dogs.

44 MP Pl currently kennels 16 dogs, with a further five in East Timor and two on course at RAAF Base Amberley.

The dog’s tasking comprises normal military police type jobs, along with flight line duties and training often up to three times a day.

Sgt Pimm said that basic dog-handling training takes between 14 and 16 weeks, and is conducted at RAAF Base Amberley.

Students are teamed with a suitable dog, which they will remain with until they leave the military working dog squad.

He said that people who have a passion for the job often return after postings to the mainstream military police.

People are taken into the stream various ways. If you have an interest in joining the military police’s dog squad and you’re an MP, go through your chain-of-command. If you’re in another corps, contact your nearest MP Coy for more details – a corps transfer will be required.

You will be asked to attend on-the-job training in Oakey to get a feel for what the job entails.

During the training, you’ll experience the daily routine, which includes cleaning kennels, feeding, grooming and training the dogs.

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