Dogs with Jobs Petersfield's Shine Radio

Hear about the vital contribution to seabird conservation made by Reid, an English springer spaniel who works as a rodent detection dog in the Scottish islands.

Conservationist and handler Rachel Cripps talks to presenter Kate Fairweather about Reid's work, visiting nearly 40 islands during the course of the year, in all weathers, searching for evidence of rat incursions. 

Biosecurity is the practice of protecting places from the threats to wildlife posed byintroducing new diseases or types of plants or animals that do not naturally occur there.

The work of Biosecurity for Scotland focuses on protecting 38 seabird islands around Scotland from invasive non-native mammalian predators, such as rats, mice, mink and stoat. These Scottish islands are remote, home to many globally important colonies of seabirds. Native seabirds, which have not evolved alongside predators and are vulnerable to invasive predators, which eat the eggs, chicks and sometimes adult birds.

Thanks to Sophie at RSPB for introducing Reid and Rachel to the show.  Biosecurity for Scotland is funded by NRF, and is a partnership of RSPB Scotland, NTS and NatureScot.

Other dogs working in conservation


Five detection dogs survey the Isle of May for storm petrels
Barley the conservation dog and his international projects
Nica, Nettle and Phoenix, the Japanese knotweed detection dogs

Do you work your dog or dogs? 

Get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk with suggestions or introductions to working dogs to feature on the show - she's always interested to hear about dogs with interesting jobs.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hear a lot about breeding in working dogs. Yet we know little about their brains: 


How might a guide dog’s brain differ from that of a hunting hound?
Where does personality fit in with a working dog? 
Can a dog have ADHD? 

Kate Fairweather asks these questions and more of Sophie Barton of the Canine Brains Project, based in the Hecht Lab at Harvard University in Boston.

Sophie oversees the Working Breed Study at the Canine Brains Project. This is a non-invasive brain imaging study into selected working breeds. A major goal of this research is to benefit the working dog community by improving breeding and training practices.


Participate in The Working Breeds Study 
More about the Canine Brains Project 

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Get in touch with Kate via team@shineradio.uk if you have a dog that does an interesting job. She loves to hear about working dogs.

Also, if you have suggestions for guests for the podcast - either handlers or people who are working in an academic or training area in this field, please do get in touch!

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather, 2024

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explosives detection work is a highly specialised discipline within the police, and the stakes are high.

On this episode of Dogs with Jobs, we meet Police Dog Ted, one of 17 explosive detection dogs working within the West Midlands Police Service, one of the largest urban police forces in the UK, which even has its own breeding scheme.  

Ted's handler, Police Constable Damo Smart, has over 21 years' experience as a police dog handler and instructor. Damo was part of the West Midlands Police display team in the Crufts arena with dozens of police colleagues and dogs.

Performance over, he joins Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather in the press room at Crufts to talk about P.D. Ted, and where such specialised police dogs fit into the overall framework and resources within the police service.

Travel sickness is a no-no for explo dogs, who must be away from home for big sports events and royal occasions as part of the job.  Damo explains why it also takes a certain attitude from the handler to work these dogs, given the high stakes involved. So a steady attitude and the ability to relax once the work is over is key.

Damo explains what he looks for in an explo dog and what it takes to search at this level - and to search safely.  

Connected episodes: 


Jax the victim recovery dog with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary;
Mabel the emotional support dog in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight fire service
P.D. Didi, the general purpose police dog
Keo, the wellbeing support dog in the police

More photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs 

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Bakersfield and Strike, as they relax in the dressing room, during a break between performances. These two collies are competing at the highest level in the Heelwork to Music competition at Crufts, the world's biggest dog show. 

It's a glamorous business, yet the atmosphere in the dressing room is cosy and good natured. Both handlers are veterans of the heelwork to music competition, with many appearances at Cruft behind them. 

Bakersfield's handler, Lucy Creek, explains what the sport entails and how she fell into it. To do well, her dogs have a focus and energy that marks them out from being tiny puppies. Lucy explains how distractions in the arena might call for a bit of improvisation on the fly.

Heelwork to music demands precision movement from the dog. The freestyle round allows plenty of room for humour and artistic inspiration and the individual performances are very different from each other, so a delight to watch from the arena side.

It's the first time Strike has performed at Crufts, but his handler, Lucy Heath has been here 16 times with various dogs, performing in the heel work to music category. She's honouring her last, beloved dog by choosing her favourite medley from the musical, Grease for the freestyle. With Spike by her side, their performance is a huge crowd pleaser.

More photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs 

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

 

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fascinating and rare glimpse into the world of fox red Labrador Jax, a police victim recovery dog.

There are fewer than 40 dogs working in this highly specialised field within the police in the UK.  Victim recovery dogs - also known as cadaver dogs or human remains dogs - search for human remains, blood or tissue as well as shallow graves or blood spattered evidence such as clothing or weapons.

The stakes are high. On the one hand, the work of Jax and dogs like him is key to identifying forensic evidence, which can be definitive in prosecuting violent crimes. But there's a very human side too: in a search for a missing person who is presumed dead, the location of a body can bring much needed closure to family and loved ones. 

It's not an everyday sort of job, and Jax is often deployed as part of a large missing person search, travelling from home and dropping into unfamiliar sites. His steadiness, sociability and love of the hunt means that he and his handler are a highly effective part of the wider search teams.

Police Constable Felicity Thomas of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary talks training, rewards and the thrill of the search with Dogs with Jobs presenter, Kate Fairweather.

Browse more dogs with interesting jobs.


Hear about the astonishing work of Medical Detection Dogs Florin, Iggy and Asher
Keo the Oscar Kilo (OK9) wellbeing dog in the police
Meet Mabel, emotional support worker in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire Service, from her owner, the Chief Fire Officer.
Hear about Didi the Police Dog

Do you work your dog or dogs? If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month's episode is a short but interesting one.

Presenter Kate Fairweather introduces springer spaniel Bonnie, who works as a bedbug inspector checking hotels - including some household name, super smart hotels - for bedbugs.  

Many of the best hotels consider it best practice, to have regular sweeps for bedbugs.  Sometimes a hotel has had a past problem, had it treated, and wants to check that these unwelcome little visitors have not returned.  

Other clients are highly sensitive and don’t want anyone to know they have bedbug detection dogs in the house - which also makes sense! For more sensitive clients, Simon Chapman and bedbug detection dog Bonnie do out of hours visits, leaving Bonnie's working harness at home, and pretend to be a regular owner and pet dog out on an evening walk... 

Simon Chapman of K9 Manhunt Scotland explains to Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather how he keeps Bonnie motivated and up to scratch. 

Browse more dogs with interesting jobs.


Hear Simon talking about how he took five detection dogs to the Isle of May for a conservation project 

Do you work your dog or dogs? If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.