Four-legged hero retires from rescue career in Penticton, B.C. – Okanagan | 24CA News
It’s the top of an period for a 12-year-old golden retriever named Sam, as his rescue profession involves a detailed this week.
Sam is Penticton Fire Chief Larry Watkinson’s canine companion and skilled catastrophe response canine. The pair belongs to the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue crew.
“It’s a light urban search and rescue team that is rapidly able to deploy in 48 hours to international, domestic, catastrophic events being in an urban environment. Where there’s building collapsed or otherwise and our team can go in and search,” mentioned Watkinson.
“I’m proud of him and I’m proud of the work that he’s done. Although it’s been short-lived experiences over a 10-year career with this team.”
The partnership started after a good friend steered Watkinson practice his subsequent canine for catastrophe response after the hearth chief misplaced his Dalmatian a decade in the past.
Research led Watkinson to decide on a purebred golden retriever.
“Golden purebreds are a very common kind of search and rescue dog and have all the demeanour that goes with it. They have to have zero aggression — Sam is not very aggressive and is very lovey,” he mentioned.
“He also has the nose for the work, too, and agility.”
Sam began off with primary coaching earlier than shifting on to extra superior studying. According to Watkinson, the K9 picked up the work shortly.
“It was a game first as a puppy, teaching him how to indicate, and bark, and be rewarded with play and treats,” mentioned Watkinson.
“Then as he developed intellect when it comes to the search component — being able to identify scent, narrow it down to a location, indicates and then be able to show his handler where the point of scent is so that the team, the firefighters could come in and start working on the rubble pile.”
The pair has been coaching facet by facet ever since and has responded to 2 worldwide missions collectively.
In 2015, they have been deployed to Nepal after which in 2019 responded to the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian.
“Sam had a really good experience in Nepal working within the International Search and Rescue Organization Association and was able to interact with other highly experienced canines when he was new. We learned a lot there,” mentioned Watkinson.
“We were able to deploy that expertise also after the Nepal experience in the Bahamas where he was very successful in his human remains detection work.”
Working alongside Sam in intense conditions has been a ‘career highlight’ for Watkinson.
Sam is greater than only a well-trained pup and the choice to retire him was not simple for the hearth chief.
“The connection you create and build with your canine and your team members is something that is hard to even explain because there’s a bond that is really unbreakable,” he added.
“I realize now he’s at his age, it’s unsafe for him to be working in those types of environments and he’s getting some cataracts and he’s getting a little slower on his big hikes. I figured that before I commit to anything for my team that it’s best that move on without or with the new dogs on the team that pop now.”
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