Astute handling

By CPL Andrew Hetherington
Volume 48, No. 11, June 29, 2006

LACW Vanessa Wallace with her dog Akyra on duty at Dili International Airport as part of Operation Astute. Photo by LAC Rod Welch.

LACW Vanessa Wallace has made history by becoming Air Force’s first female military working dog handler (MWDH) to be operationally deployed.

The Amberley-based handler and her dog Akyra joins nine other MWDHs, and airfield defence guards (ADGs), in maintaining security at Dili International Airport as part of Operation Astute.

“This has been a good opportunity for me to be the first operationally deployed female Air Force dog handler. I am really enjoying myself here,” LACW Wallace said.

“When we first got here the heat had got to my dog Akyra a bit, but now she is handling the deployment and the heat well.

“We have been doing a lot of patrolling and working at vehicle check points. It has been a great opportunity to help the people of Timor-Leste. It really makes you appreciate the things you have at home.”

SGT Shane Campbell from the Air Force Military Working Dog Section, based at Dili Airport, said his team were busy performing a wide variety of tasks.

“The dog teams are working eight hour shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said. “Our roles here are mainly law enforcement, peacekeeping and patrolling with the ADG sections.

“We marry up with the ADGs and patrol the airfield, we conduct random searches on persons and vehicles, maintain the peace, disarm people of weapons and provide a force protection element to the airfield.”

He said the dog teams have confiscated a diverse range of weapons during their patrols, including machetes, darts, spears, blow guns and shanghais.

Another member of the team is LAC Jay Luckman and his dog Max, who has an injured leg.

“Max and I had been conducting security patrols in the local area, providing a visual deterrent to anyone trying to enter the airfield, searching suspicious persons and confiscating weapons,” he said.

“Max injured his leg on his chain. He occasionally gets excited and he tripped over his chain.
“I put a bandage on his wound so he doesn’t chew on it and it doesn’t get infected.”

In addition to tending to Max’s wound daily, LAC Luckman said handlers have a routine for caring for their dogs.
“Max is on three and a half Doxy anti-malarial tablets a day and the dogs are dipped for fleas and ticks every four days,” he said.

“We also check them daily for grass seeds, bindies, and ticks.

“The dogs have a daily play period to let them know they have been doing a good job. The dogs play only with their handlers, so they don’t injure each other, otherwise they might not be able to work.”

SGT Campbell said he was pleased with the team’s performance so far on the deployment.

“They are doing a good job in combination with the ADGs. Our work has made the airfield as a hard target in this area,” he said.

“So we must be doing our job right.”

.