Our People in Tasmania
Katie Lowery - Railton
Katie Lowery’s love of dogs is a major factor in her chosen career in the Australian Defence Force.
The 21-year-old Leading Aircraft Woman and former Railton resident is a Military Working Dog Handler at the Royal Australian Air Force Base, Edinburgh in South Australia, a job that was once the domain of men.
The former Railton Primary and Latrobe High School student is one of just a handful of female military dog handlers in the Australian Defence Force. She now counts “Zeus” one of the highly trained military working dogs that make up 24 Squadron at RAAF Base Edinburgh, as one of her closest and loyal friends.
A strong bond now exists between Katie and Zeus after they spent a number of shifts bonding.
Military Working Dogs and their handlers undergoing 13 weeks of training on the Military Working Dog handler’s course.
“I joined Security Police Military Working Dog Handler because I have always loved dogs and I thought that I would enjoy the policing aspect,” Katie said. “I have been fortunate to meet many wonderful people in my job and I get great satisfaction,” she said. “I also get great satisfaction from training and working with such beautiful animals,” Katie added.