Cadaver dog seminar makes Canadian debut in Strathmore

Times Reporter 

 

For the first time ever there will be a Canadian Search Dog Association cadaver dog seminar held in Strathmore with instructors from North America Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA).

Organizer Marijke Barnson said that to bring the instructors, Roy Lopez and Mickey Januszkiewicz to Strathmore, all she did was ask. Lopez is a founding member of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma and Rescue Team (BORSTAR) as well as the BORSTAR K9 Program.

He has been a K9 handler in the Border Patrol for more than 10 years and an instructor for seven years.

Januszkiewicz started working with dogs in 1976 when she got a female Doberman for Christmas. She started obedience classes, eventually becoming an obedience instructor and competing in AKC obedience. That led her to work as a Police K9 Handler and then, once retired, continuing on in the civilian sector in K9 SAR.

“It’s actually the first time that NAPWDA has held a workshop in Canada, they’re mostly based out of the States. They hold workshops and seminars throughout the States for law enforcement and the search and rescue and cadaver part is open to civilians,” said Barnson. 

Barnson’s dog Java recently completed his certification to become a cadaver dog. Java is now 16 months old. He began his training when he was three months old.

“What you’re looking for is a super high drive dog to begin with and usually we try to start them younger. I wouldn’t really start a dog past two to three years old, it can be done but it’s a lot more work,” said Barnson. 

“It just really depends on the dog, whether or not that dog has the drive to work and basically they need to be toy driven more than food driven.”

Training a dog to become a cadaver dog and wanting to be involved in that lifestyle is not for everyone, but for Barnson it’s kind of personal. 

“My older brother passed away when he was 26 and I saw what that kind of did to our family, our family has never really been the same after that,” said Barnson.

“It wasn’t a crime or anything like that – he was terminally ill and I can’t imagine where people have lost a brother or a spouse or a son or daughter or anything like that and not knowing where they are and what happened to them. So that’s what drives me.”

Java and other search dogs with the Canadian Search Dog Association are certified to search through RCMP dog handlers in Alberta.

The seminar begins on Sept. 7 at the Ag. grounds, possibly moving after lunch. The rest of the weekend will be held at the Global Training Centre. The seminar is closed to the public. 

Law enforcement is calling on civilian-trained cadaver dogs more frequently in Canada than they have in the past, although other countries rely more on such teams than Canada typically does.

Anyone hoping to find out more about NAPWDA can go to www.napwda.com or to learn more about the Canadian Search Dog Association go to http://canadiansearchdog.com.