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David Graham “Farmer Dave” from Big Brother and Dancing with the Stars fame and the ABC “Australian Story” spent the day at MNK9 filming for a future episode.

It was an great pleasure to meet David he is a real gentleman and a very talented dog trainer with  extensive dog training knowledge.

David is an ambassador for both the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League and has spent over 20 years training working dogs in the outback.

It was a big day with David covering Search and Rescue dogs, Narcotic detection, Explosive detection and Security Patrol dogs.

To see our big day at mnk9 make sure you watch the fantastic award winning ABC show “Australian Story”

David is working on a very exciting project at the moment and we wish him all the luck and success.

Multi-National K9 (MNK9) is proudly supplying fully trained Explosives Detection Dogs (EDD) to clients both here in Australia and overseas.

The dogs pictured with Gary are two MNK9 trained dogs currently deployed operationally in Australia.

All EDDs complete a minimum three month scent detection program on an extensive range of odours, combined with a comprehensive canine handler training course.  Once completed, a thorough verification and testing process is undertaken before certifying them as operational EDD teams.

Both these dogs and their handlers are working very well as EDD teams but no one expected how soon one of them would get an operational find.

In their first week of deployment, one of these dogs was conducting an operational search when a positive indication was made.  The indication was on a staging crew’s travel case. Without going into the operational procedures when the dog makes a find, it turned out that the case had previously been used to store small explosive charges used for pyrotechnics. Great job team!

After months of training Gary and Rusty arrived on the beautiful Groote Eylandt for the handler training and for Rusty to meet the locals and Ozzie {pictured been held} also trained by Gary, Groote Eylandt’s first Cane Toad Detection dog. With the great dedication of the handlers and the residents of Groote Eylandt we have a great chance of keeping this beautiful part of the word cane toad free.

Here is some good infomation and tips on dog health.

After several months of training Rusty for the detection of Cane toads Rusty is finally finished and is on his way to Groote Eylandt NT for the important job of Stopping the Cane toad on this beautiful Eylandt. Gary Jackson’s mobile from June 28 to July 3, 2010 is 0458912274.

Multi National K9 has a strong commitment for the research and development of trained operational Environmental Protection sniffer dogs.

Previous dogs trained by Gary  have been a massive success including the world’s first Red Ear Slider Turtle and egg detection dog. Angus has been working for Bio Security Qld and has located several nests of eggs from the imported pests and ignoring the 100’s of native turtle eggs. Angus has made a great contribution for environmental protection by stopping dozens of future breeding of these pests and tipping the balance of Australia’s fragile native turtle population.

 Another big success was the training of the world’s first cane toad detection dog for W.A. Nifty has been used to locate hitch hiking Cane toads on the W.A. boarder and recently has been used in N.S.W. and on the beautiful Moreton Island. A second Cane toad detection dog called Ozzie is working on Groote Eylandt and a third Cattle Dog called Rusty is presently in training for Groote Eylandt.

 We are so proud to be able to make a difference helping to protect this magnificent country of ours by the use of sniffer dogs to locate pests or endangered species.

 What about the animals

 Written by Amanda Harris

 My dream is to see sniffer dogs as a key role in natural resource management programs for the future, and to have this cutting edge conservation method used further in the protection of Australian native fauna.

 Worldwide concern about the status of wildlife populations, coupled with the difficulties inherent to tracking and locating such populations, has instigated the development and increasing growth of non-invasive methods for wildlife monitoring and research.  The use of sniffer dogs to track endangered species is proactively incorporated into natural resource management activities in non-protected and protected areas, in a number of countries around the world: North America, South America, Africa, Asia and India. 

 What about Australia?  In Australia research has started and been successful with pest animal management, with sniffer dogs assisting scientists and land protection officers to locate fire ants, crazy ants, red-eared slider turtles and the cane toad.  The efficient detection of these species is crucial, to pest animal eradication programs and the protection of native fauna. 

 My dream is about to become a reality:

Three groups have joined to trial a twelve (12) month pilot sniffer dog research project, at Saddler Springs, a property between Mt Moffatt and Carnarvon Gorge National Parks.  Two Border Collie working dog pups have been sourced, with the aim to train them to track the Northern Quoll in the Carnarvon Ranges.  The three groups are: What about the animals (Amanda Harris and Ann Biasol), Saddler Springs Education Centre (Lloyd Hancock and Paul Cuskelly) and Multi National K9 (Gary Jackson).

 The Northern Quoll Dasyurus hallucatus, (status in Queensland: Least Concern under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and National: Endangered under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999), has had population decline linked with the impact from Cane Toads in Carnarvon National Park, southwest Queensland and Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory.  During fauna surveys completed within Carnarvon National Park, Ecologists and Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPWS) Resource Rangers, have highlighted the difficulty through trapping effort alone, to identify Quoll presence without first finding evidence of Quoll scats, and then the almost impossible task of identifying these scats, across a vast and broken landscape such as the Carnarvon’s. 

 I believe the use of sniffer dogs will assist scientists and resource managers to locate scats and therefore the target species presence, by pinpointing key areas in rugged and difficult to traverse landscapes. The ability of dogs to cover large survey areas and use their high olfactory senses, to quickly locate scats that may be missed by the human eye, will be highly beneficial. 

 Part of this trial will be to demonstrate the use of sniffer dogs in wildlife survey methodology, to allow the costly and labour intensive methodology of trapping and camera survey to be more targeted and efficient.  Results of this study could assist scientists to document populations, and develop improved recovery plans, for species such as the Northern Quoll.

 Currently this pilot project is in the development stage, while the puppies and I begin an extensive training and development program with Multi National K9, and we continue generating further support and advisory from Zoos, Wildlife Sanctuaries, QPWS, Universities, Quoll Researchers and Conservation groups. 

 The continuation of this dream will hopefully be to develop trained dogs for the detection of a number of species, and the possibilities are endless.  Some of these being, but not limited to: bandicoots, yakka skink, kowari, rare snails, the detection of rare plants and even noxious weeds.

TWO young Australian combat engineers on their first deployment in Afghanistan have been killed by a bomb in the army’s worst combat loss in a single day since the Vietnam War.

A bomb detonated during a patrol on Monday morning, killing Sapper Jacob Moerland, 21, and Sapper Darren Smith, 26, both from the Brisbane-based 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment.

Sapper Smith’s bomb-detection dog, Herbie, was also killed in the blast.

We must never forget those who have given their lives in the cause of protecting our country. This is the supreme sacrifice and being a member of our armed forces has many uncertainties and huge risks. “What a brave group of Australians”. My heartfelt sympathy goes to their families and friends. We must look after their families and never forget what they have lost. Herbie also lost his life and we often forget that animals play an important role in conflicts by saving lives as a dog squad member. Rest in Peace Jacob, Darren and Herbie. Lest we Forget

Rusty is the middle of an intensive training program learning the skills for detecting Cane Toads. Rusty is originally from Sydney and was selected by Gary as a suitable dog for this very important task.

Over the next  four weeks Rusty will complete the cane toad detection training and then will accompany Gary Jackson to the beautiful Groote Eylandt in the NT in this important task of keeping the Eylandt cane toad free.

Philip Mitna from the “Royal PNG Police Dog Constabulary” spent

the day at Multi National K9 selecting K9’s for their breeding and

training program. After a great day at the kennels and a quick tour

of the RSPCA we introduced Philip to Ozzie the world’s 2nd Cane

Toad Detection dog.  Ozzie is at MNK9 for a refresher program

from his home at Groote Eylandt in the NT. Philip and Ozzie got

on like a house on fire and in no time Ozzie was finding Cane Toads

for Philip.

FORELL – K9 EDUCATIONAL SERVICES – Von Forell K9 Education