A two-year-old Belgian shepherd named Floki is undergoing training to become a search dog for the State Emergency Service (SES) in the Great Southern region, guided by his owner, Tomas Lourenco.
Lourenco encourages others to dedicate time and effort to training their dogs for search and rescue operations, as there is currently no area search unit in the Great Southern. “The more individuals who express interest and commit to this endeavor, the closer we get to establishing a local canine unit,” he noted, highlighting the increasing number of people getting lost in areas like Bluff Knoll.
Initially considering volunteering for the SES, Lourenco recognized Floki’s exceptional intelligence, prompting him to focus on training Floki for search and rescue. “After discussions with friends about tracking, I conducted my own research and discovered the SES search and rescue canine unit based in Perth,” he explained.
Floki and Lourenco have been traveling weekly between Albany and Perth to attend SES training sessions. As area search dogs, Floki works off-lead, using his keen sense of smell to locate individuals. Having successfully completed the entrance requirements, Floki is currently engaged in visual training at Pines Lake Park in McKail.
“The training involves hiding someone in the bush, who then emerges with a squeaky toy,” Lourenco shared. As they progress, the next phase will focus on scent training, which Lourenco believes Floki enjoys immensely. “We make it fun. It’s important not to exhaust the dog to the point where they lose interest,” he emphasized.
An essential aspect of Floki’s training is teaching him to stop on command, regardless of the distance. “In emergency situations, especially with many people around, it can become chaotic,” he noted, underscoring the importance of having a well-trained search dog like Floki to assist in such scenarios.
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