Lee – Humans of Avon and Somerset
My whole life is centred around dogs, and I’m always proud to demonstrate the amazing things they are capable of.
Lee, Dog Instructor and Handler
One of the best parts of my job as a dog instructor and handler is meeting and working with lots of different people, but I never anticipated my work would lead me to the jungles of Thailand.
It all began in 2021 when I was on a training course, and a fellow officer told me about the volunteering work he does outside of his regular role. He asked if I would ever be interested in getting involved, and I asked for my name to be passed along.
Six months or so passed, and then I was contacted by the Zoological Society of London, the wildlife charity that runs the London Zoo and funds many global conservation efforts. They asked if would be interested in visiting an international police force to train their dogs and handlers.
Specifically, the training required was to search for illegally trafficked animals. I had no idea that this is one of the biggest illegal activities worldwide, worth around $23 billion a year. It leaves a trail of destruction behind, and money generated is often used to fund other criminal activities.
The Zoological Society asked me whether it would be possible to train dogs to search for these illegally moved animals. As I would confidently respond to anyone, the way we train dogs, it’s possible to get them to track anything.
Following six months of emails and meetings, the Zoological Society got in touch to say it had received a grant to send volunteers over to Thailand to teach not only the Royal Thai Police, but also the wildlife detection dogs for the Department of National Parks.
The plan was to teach their handlers how we train our dogs, so they could train their dogs for their specific needs. This visit would be facilitated by the Veterans for Wildlife charity, who I’ve previously volunteered with. The charity uses the skillsets held by veterans and ex-emergency service workers to help protect wildlife. I requested leave and was supported by Avon and Somerset Police to go; it was great to have the support of the organisation for this skill-sharing trip.
Early in 2022, I arrived in Thailand for the first part of my trip which involved teaching the Royal Thai Police dogs in Bangkok, the main canine centre for the country. It was very nerve wracking that first day. I had no idea how many handlers I would be training, until I sat down in the training hall and saw the 150 people who would be listening to my every word. The second part of the visit was spent in the Pattaya, training dogs in the jungle with monkeys and snakes and who knows what else above my head!
Teaching in this environment, in such hot weather conditions and with a language barrier was a whole new experience. We had a full-time interpreter looking after us, but everything took twice as long to relay to the listeners. The words I used to describe training didn’t always translate perfectly, so it was a very different teaching style, very much show and tell. There were lots of hands-on demonstrations with the dogs to underline what I was saying.
I led my fellow officers through the entire training process, from our dogs finding a scent, to them finding items the handlers want to be found; including when in vehicles. Animals are often trafficked in lorries that pass through national parks and border lines. It opened their eyes to some of the capabilities of working dogs that they didn’t know existed.
It may sound like a holiday, going over to another country for a few weeks, but it was hard work. It involved working nearly every day, including some of my days off if someone requested more in-depth training. It was tiring, but it centred around teaching something I love, and it was rewarding to teach others with no expectation of personal benefit. The officers I met were grateful for the sharing of knowledge, and I loved the experience of meeting new officers who work in different ways to us. I would always encourage colleagues to do something similar if the opportunity presents itself.
Visiting another countries’ police organisation makes me really appreciate my role here. Even though it’s been a couple years now since I visited Thailand, I’m looking to go back in the future. My whole life is centred around dogs, and I’m always proud to demonstrate the amazing things they are capable of.
