Fama, the AHBD (Episode 20)

Published by Julie on April 30, 2012

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FAma the Asshole Bomb Dog by David Winners

Episode 20

SFC Shemp was ready to get some dog teams validated and pushed out to their units. He had watched us work a few times and felt that some of us had progressed far enough in our training to get a shot at working in the real world. The validating process was not as formal as certification in Arizona. He just set up a few training venues when he was available and watched us work our dogs. There was a lot less pressure than at our certification, seeing that he was a Sergeant First Class and not a Sergeant Major. We had also been working as a dog team for an additional month, training daily with none of the distractions that we had in Arizona. We were living the dog life, 24-7.

The majority of the previous class had failed to pass this validation, but we were also performing at a higher level, due to changes in the training implemented by the trainers to better prepare us for testing. SFC Shemp had also been very encouraging during our training sessions, with many complimentary critiques of our searches. What we didn’t understand, at the time, was that SFC Shemp didn’t want us to succeed. He was upset that the training of MWD teams was no longer strictly under control of the Military Police. He was out to see us fail, to make the MP training program look like the only viable resource for explosive detection dogs. However, to our faces, he was nothing but nice.

The first validation problem he set up was late in the morning on a particularly hot day. It was late July in Afghanistan, so the heat was brutal through the hottest part of the day. We gathered at the testing location and set up a net for the dogs, so they could have some shade while they awaited their turn to run. SFC Shemp had also brought the MP dog handlers that were under his charge to run the venue for training. There were 7 of them, and they all had air conditioned SUVs to keep their dogs cool.

All 7 of the MP dog teams ran the venue first, and they took their sweet time about it. They were averaging 30 minutes each to work the problem, so it was early in the afternoon before our first dog got to run. The dogs had been sitting in their crates in the 120 degree heat for 3 hours. We were separate from the MP handlers, as were were in no way cool enough to associate with them, but we could see their dejected expressions and head shakes as they returned to their vehicles from the venue. We were informed later that none of the MP teams had found the training aid.

John and Taz were selected by SFC Shemp to be the first ones to run as they had been performing consistently throughout training, and had the highest chance of validating and being pushed forward to their unit. They returned from the training venue in less than 10 minutes with a big smile on their collective face. Taz was hot, his tongue lolling and dripping from the side of his mouth, snaked around a tennis ball. They had succeeded where all the MPs had failed. Bruno and Alex were next on the chopping block, and the result was the same. Bruno came racing over the hill back to the truck and jumped up in his crate, with his ball still in his mouth, before Alex was even in sight.

Fama and I were up next. There were butterflies in my stomach as I walked to where my trainers stood in conversation with SFC Shemp. It was time, once again, to prove ourselves as a team. The venue was a short route clear, up a hill, with a sharp turn to the right about half way up. There was a ditch which was full of green pricker weeds off to the left of the route, and a couple of large blacks of concrete placed right on the turn in the route, placed there to block vehicle traffic from using the path. With a reassuring nod from Luchian, I put Fama to work. She was already breathing out of her mouth, trying desperately to cool herself, but she was still focused on the task, searching with enthusiasm. She paused and checked out a big spot of disturbed earth on the right side of the path, discarded the spot, and checked back with me for direction.

I sent her left, across the path, down into the ditch full of prickers. She dove right in, not hesitating in the slightest at the presence of her nemesis. She crashed through the prickers, searching her little feet off down towards the turn in the road. I had moved down the road 25 yards, but was still 75 yards from the turn. Fama’s head came up and she threw a slight change of behavior, moving to my right towards the concrete blocks. I indicated to SFC Shemp that I thought she was on odor and let her work it out. She was searching methodically around the blocks, returning to where she had originally smelled the odor when she was unsuccessful to try again to locate the source.

Fama was not one to just plant her but when she thought she was close to the source of odor. She would work until she was satisfied that she had it nailed. Call it doggy pride, or good training. She didn’t appreciate help. I was getting nervous about her failure to exhibit a final response, and had stopped myself several times from pressing her on up the path. I had to reassure myself that I knew she was in odor, and that she would work it out. Fama had yet to look back to me for guidance, so I just let her work it out, standing there watching the Fama show. It took her 5 minutes to work her way to the other side of the path. Her nose touched the dirt in a location previously unchecked, and she froze, clearing her nose with a big snot and taking in a deep breath. I knew she had it.

Luchian walked to my side, his arms crossed and a big smile of satisfaction on his face. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. Fama plopped to the ground with her nose all but touching the hide. Every cell in her body was charged with the energy of the generations of dogs that came before her, hunting their prey to survive. Her body locked in position, every muscle tense with anticipation. Her ears were raked forward, almost painfully, screaming for the ball. I walked up the path, admiring the beauty of the scene. Validation was meaningless when compared to this, the excitement of the hunt and joy of success. I tossed her ball and the world exploded in fun. Even the trainers were whooping it up. It was as much a success for them and their efforts in preparing us as it was for the individual teams.

I let Fama keep her ball and walked back to the truck to get her some much needed shade and rest. The guys were all happy to see another dog return with a ball in it’s panting mouth. Fama jumped into her crate and got a drink of warm water. She was asleep within minutes of the door closing. The majority of the teams performed well that day. We had proven ourselves superior to the MPs, and it felt good to walk away winners, even if the MPs didn’t stick around to watch us work our dogs. We knew where we stacked up by comparison, so we were confident that we would all validate. How could SFC Shemp hold us back when we were outperforming his own dog teams? We would soon find out.

24kGSD Fama, the AHBD Links

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/29/fama-the-ahbd-episode-19/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/25/fama-the-ahbd-episode-18/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/24/fama-the-ahbd-episode-17/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/24/fama-the-ahbd-episodes-15-16/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/23/fama-the-ahbd-episode-14/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/21/fama-the-ahbd-episode-13/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/18/fama-the-ahbd-episode-12/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/18/fama-the-ahbd-episode-11/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/17/fama-the-ahbd-episode-10/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/16/fama-the-ahbd-episode-9/

https://24kgsd.com/blog/2012/04/15/fama-the-ahbd-episodes-3-8/