Pawfessionals at work
Around the world, dozens of Logan-born residents have been saving lives, protecting native wildlife, and investigating crime for the past 20 years – and all they ask for in return is a good belly rub.
These talented pooches are all esteemed graduates of a specialist training program in Loganholme run by Craig A. Murray, where only the most exceptional of litters can join the workforce.
Craig’s expertise has produced a line of remarkable pups.
For example, Rusty is one of the world’s first fire ant detection dogs, while Norm helped the Australian government identify and remediate a once-common carcinogenic pesticide in 1996.
Fast forward to today and there is also Freddie, who headed to Hawaii to detect little fire ants with the Maui Invasive Species Committee, and Edna, who now uses her super sniffer to find cane toads for the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers in Groote.
‘The dog is a biological masterpiece. The technology that’s available today is nowhere as good as a detection dog,’ Craig says.
‘We know for a fact that our dogs can go down to parts per trillion – what they’re doing at this moment is only the tip of the iceberg.’
One of his current star students is Bullet, a cheerful 2-year-old springer spaniel with a natural talent for detection work.
As part of a top-secret state research project, Bullet spends most mornings sniffing around a scent wheel that dangles 12 different samples, or searching through hundreds of objects for one with a specific odour.
For Bullet, whose breed is known for its affability and love of work, his 6-day training schedule is a walk in the park.
‘If we didn’t enforce a mandatory rest day, he’d be happy to work every day,’ Craig says with a chuckle.
‘Even when it’s rest time, he still wants to hunt and search around for things.
‘He’s a happy little dog that just loves everything he gets to do.’
Craig says thanks to Bullet’s hard work and keen sense of smell, scientists have made leaps in their research and will be publishing their findings in the near future.
To this day, Craig still considers his career a dream after recently clocking up 44 years in the industry.
‘I’m a 60-plus-year-old man who gets to play with dogs all day, be an idiot for fun and I get paid for it,’ he says.
‘It’s never easy saying goodbye to the dogs who relocate for work, but when you see them doing what they’re supposed to do – saving millions or even billions of dollars for taxpayers – you feel good.
‘You know the dogs love what they’re doing and that they’re getting the best care possible.’
Photo at top: Craig A. Murray loves training Bullet to make the most of his super sniffing capabilities.
Photo by Josh Woning.
