Girl Power: Sydney’s First Two Biosecurity Detector Dog Teams

Casey Baines:

Hello everybody and welcome once again to Detect and Protect, the Australian biosecurity podcast. I am your guest host; Casey Baines and today we dive back into our special series celebrating last year’s 30th anniversary of the detector dog program. The program plays a vital role in the interception of biosecurity risks in the airport, mail, and cargo environments. The detector dog’s excellent agility and super noses make them one our most effective and loveable detection methods.

Our guest for today’s podcast is Dee Apps.

Dee was one of the first few detector dog handlers with a stunning career starting from 1993, one year after the program established up until 2010.

In this interview Dee shares a few stories from her time as a detector handler including training, interesting seizures with her detector dog Jessie and even a few celebrity run ins.

She also gives some wise words of advice for new handlers and shares some qualities of a detector dog handler. Ok, enough from me! Time to start talking to Dee!

First of all, just a big thank you Dee for joining us. We both know that the detector dogs are one of the departments greatest tools in finding biosecurity risks and detecting things and they're definitely one of our cutest tools as well. So why don't you just start off by giving us an overview of who you are, how you got into the program and where you were deployed?

Dee Apps:

Yeah, certainly. Hi, Casey thanks for having me. Just firstly like to wish all the past and present dog handlers a happy 30th anniversary, especially Rachel and Harold who paved the way for the rest of us to come. And of course, our program manager Bob, who you know, set the program in motion. We are on the front line but there's a whole group of people behind the scenes that helped run the program and I'd just like to send a special mention if I may, to the kennel staff at Eastern Creek that looked after our detected dogs because we ended up with like 65 dogs there. So it was a big job and they were a huge part of the success of the program as well.

But yeah, I'm Dee. I actually joined AQIS as it was then, which was the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service in 1980, working at the Animal Quarantine Station at Eastern Creek. And was lucky enough through a colleague of mine, Ray at Eastern Creek who heard about the dog program and said “oh, I think you'd like this.” So I thought this sounds fabulous, what a great thing to get in on, sort of on the on the foundation of a new concept for the department. So in 1993, I was successful enough to get the position. I spent two months training in Brisbane and with our American trainer Colvin Brannacka. And then after two months, Eva and I were deployed back to our home and base at Sydney International Airport. So there I joined Rachel, who was our first detected dog handler. Her and Melody and yeah, so we both had female dogs so it was girl power all the way in Sydney.

Casey Baines:

And can you tell us a little bit more about your dog? I assume, given the program started as the Beagle Brigade, it was a Beagle. Did she have any quirks to her or anything like that?

Dee Apps:

Yeah, she was my first dog was Eva because she got replaced later in the year. She had a bit of an issue with responding to targets. In training she was fine, she would sit constantly. Once she got into the field there was, she was a bit distracted. She would maybe have a slight change of behaviour that you could put up, but it was quite difficult to read her at times and she ended up getting withdrawn from the program, she also had some health issues. So she went to a lovely home and so then I got Jessie. Jessie was the cutest beagle ever and Jessie was deployed from 1994 to 2003.

Casey Baines:

A long career because now our Labradors that we have in the program now usually serve 6 to 8 years, so nine year career for Jessie sounds pretty impressive.

Dee Apps:

Yeah, she actually lived until almost 18 so she was quite remarkable.

Casey Baines:

And to talk about Eva, that's a good point to emphasise that the detector dog program really is the very best of the best.

So going through the training and having great responses to sit, even when they get out we can find that dogs might be suitable and they might be better to be rehomed or something like that. Rather than going through to be part of the program to be a detector dog. So good to hear.

Dee Apps:

It takes a certain kind of dog. I used to go what we call them road testing Beagles offered to us by the public. And we had a criteria where we would take them to a shopping centre, railway station, somewhere busy see how they reacted to various environments. Because a lot of them had spent most of their lives in their backyard so when you got out there they were just totally overwhelmed by what was happening in the big world. So it took a special, really outgoing kind of beagle that was what we call “bomb proof.” It didn't matter what noise you threw at it or where you took it. They were just quite happy to trot along beside you.

Casey Baines:

Yeah and it's really a change of environment if they're coming from backyards and things like that. So nowadays our detector program, we get all of our Labradors through the ABF breeding facility. But back in the mid-90s the dogs, were they being gifted to the department by people of the public or how did they get them?

Dee Apps:

Mainly and I don't know if you had much to do with beagles, but they can be quite hard to live with. They’re a natural hunting dog. They're hands on so they use their nose and also they have an amazing food drive. They'll eat anything and everything insight. So for what we wanted it was like working in Beagle heaven. You got to use your nose and you got to get food when you find anything. We actually ran a ‘Bad Beagles’ campaign one year and we had over 1000 phone calls.

“I think my dog will be suitable.” I'd go out to various homes, beautiful homes. You go out into the garden. There was holes everywhere, there was concrete blocking up holes where beagles have dug underneath. I actually went to one place and they said I had a beautiful fountain down the back, but the dog dug underneath it so much that it fell down and it was propped up against the wall. They would go “oh please take the dog I want to my garden back.” I said “well, I have to see if it's going to be suitable to the program first.

Casey Baines:

Were a lot of those dogs suitable for the program because the one thing about being a detector dog is they're constantly working, they're going through. So dogs that might not be suitable to being left alone in the backyard all day might have been more suitable for the program? Or did you find when you went through that process not so much?

Dee Apps:

Not so much. Dogs that have been out and well socialised which were the kind of dogs we are looking for. But what we were looking for mainly was a dog, a Beagle with a great food drive that you might throw a biscuit under a lot of shopping trolleys and it's going to get under there to get that piece of biscuit. But if there’s a dog that stands there goes “hey, go and get it for me.” That's not the type of dog we were looking for.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, for sure. So what initially attracted you to the role of being a detector dog handler, was it just something new and you love dogs?

Dee Apps:

So I’ve always worked with dogs, guide dogs and the blind in the UK. And then when I immigrated to Australia, I worked in a number of big breeding and show kennels and then of course so went to work at Eastern Creek where I worked for 13 years. So I've always been around handling dogs and involved with dogs. So when this position came up, it was like a bit like, you know, doggy heaven as well. You know an exciting environment which was so different from what I've been used to.

Casey Baines:

And noting that it was really exciting for you, can you maybe narrow down one or two things that you thought might have been the best part of being a detector dog handler?

Dee Apps:

Oh my goodness, there was so many things that, you know, I never think I would be doing. You know especially working with dogs, I mean normally dogs and animals you didn't do it for the money, you did it because you loved dogs, horses or whatever. So to be involved in a new program as well. I mean, we had the trial program which proved to be so successful that the department decided to, you know, to implement it full time. And I guess because it was such a new program, there was so much interest in it, so much publicity. We did a lot of talks and demonstrations and always having groups of agencies come from overseas to have a look at how the program was run and how the beagles worked.

It was quite interesting, to suddenly find yourself appearing on TV and giving the talk and demonstration or being at a holiday and travel show and talking to like 800 people in the crowd. It was like, my gosh, I never imagined I'd be doing anything like this.

Casey Baines:

You mentioned that you had other countries coming to learn about our program and when the program started, the first pilot we worked with the American Department of Agriculture, I think. Was the program, I mean it's a world standard it seems at the moment, but to start off with where we trying and catch up? Or were you and the team building new processes that were world leading at the time?

Dee Apps:

Well, I think obviously the United States have been using dogs for agricultural products for a number of years. And that’s how our department was fortunate enough to engage the services of Colvin Brannacka, one of their trainers who came over. And also Hawaii, Canada and New Zealand all use beagles. So for a lot of travellers it would be “oh there's the food dog” because you know, they're associated with finding food stuff. So the Beagle was sort of recognised as agriculture products dogs around the country, but it obviously to Australian travellers, they've never encountered them at the airport before. So they generated a lot of interest and whenever you're down on the floor working, everybody was looking at you. And of course people often thought it was a drug dog so, you know, they'd be horrified when the dog sat at them, like in all the passengers go “oh my god, she's got drugs.” And no, we're looking for food products. But yeah, you used to get some quite funny responses from people.

And because people often were quite frightened of dogs and of course which was one of the reasons again for using the Beagle. Because really they don't come much cuter and they're quite small, so they're not too threatening for passengers, though we would have passengers that would scream at the dog, came anywhere near them and try and back away. Especially a lot of countries that have rabies and dogs are unclean. So that's probably a part of it you know. Obviously if we've gone down with a Rottweiler the response might have been a bit different.

Casey Baines:

And we’re very lucky in Australia that we don't have rabies and that's one of the things that we worked at so hard as a biosecurity agency to keep out of Australia. You were mentioning the reaction of travellers towards the dogs. On the other end of the spectrum, it must have been sort of a common occurrence I assume of people almost running up to try and pat a detector dog. Can you talk us about what sort of protocols you have as a handler to have your dog and if travellers come up to them?

Dee Apps:

We certainly, you know, specially tired mums with a couple of kids would see the dog and go “oh, go play with the dog.” Had enough of them after 26 hours on an aircraft. Yeah, we would always say, “look, you know, the dogs working, you know, when I finish working, you might you can come over and say hello.” But when, when we're working around the passengers, then, you know, she's a working dog and she's got to concentrate on what she's doing. But you would get some funny responses with you'd be approaching a passenger with the dog and they go “that's not my dog.” I go like “no ma’am that’s mine” or “could your dog find my husband? I've lost him.”

Casey Baines:

So when you think back on your career as a handler, do you have one go to story that you usually tell to people? Do you have a specifically interesting find or an interesting occurrence that you think of?

Dee Apps:

There's, a couple, one especially a very large Russian gentleman. Spoke no English at all, but had this black garbage bag with him which Jessie alerted to. And of course I'm trying to indicate and get out of him what is he carrying in the bag. And like he was a huge great man and I indicated I was going to have a look so I opened this garbage bag, there was this enormous teddy bear and at the bottom was like about a 2kg chunk of meat not wrapped up in anything. Just in a black garbage bag.

Yeah, it's amazing what people brought into the country. It was like, I know a lot of people brought stuff from home, you know, maybe to family they were visiting that they were used to having in wherever they live because a lot of it’s not allowed into the country.

Casey Baines:

As a dog handler I think that would probably give you a bit of an “in” to try and start conversations with passengers a lot as well. To say that Jess has reacted to them or things like that.

Dee Apps:

Mostly the reaction was fabulous. You know, people were quite excited when the dog actually found something. And, you know go “look, Doris, this dog's found what I had, this apple or banana in bag.” And other people would go, you know, the dog would. I had this one passenger, obviously a businesswoman, dog alerted to her briefcase. And I said “good afternoon, ma'am, you carrying any apples or bananas?” And she said “no.” I said “well, I just need to have a look my dogs alerted.” I opened they briefcase and she had an orange there. And I said “I just asked you if you're carrying any fruit.” She said “you didn't ask me if I was carrying an orange.”

Casey Baines:

Oh boy yeah, it's very important that everyone realises that things that might be everyday items to them, fruit, meat, that sort of thing can bring in such devastating pests and diseases. Foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, citrus canker on fruit, things like that. It's amazingly important work that the handlers do.

Dee Apps:

When you explain to them why you were taking it because of the disease risk for the country, they're quite compliant, but obviously, you know. And especially if it was mums with kids, you could always guarantee there was a banana somewhere in the bag because it's a nice fruit for children.

Casey Baines:

And when you've been travelling for sometimes two days at a time, you've got to realise that people sometimes stick things at the bottom, bags, and that's what we're here for, to find them. And at the same time, we're there to prompt people to make sure they declare everything that they have so, so we can make sure the items don't come through.

Dee Apps:

Yes, exactly. In the early days, that's why we did a lot of PR, because people were interested in the dogs. But it also was a good tool to explain to the public what they did and why they were doing it and what items weren't allowed into the country. So, you know, we got tremendous public relations from the dog program when it first started, but was an excellent way to get their message across to people about why it's important to declare these items before coming into the country.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, for sure. And you've mentioned that you had lots of different appearances in public relations. Was there one particularly that stands out or someone particularly famous that you met or were able to clear as a handler?

Dee Apps:

Like I guess there was obviously all these famous people coming through the airport and they went through the VIP route. I was working an American flight once and because generally you're looking at the dog, you're only seeing feet and bags and making sure your dog’s safe and you can get in and around the passengers. So it’s not until dog stops and alerts that you actually make eye contact with the passenger and it was Keanu Reeves. He’d had some fruit in his bag previously.

But I would say the most famous was Sir William Dean our Governor General. I'd actually met him, Jess and I went down to the launch of the Science Festival in Canberra and the launch itself was held in the Great Hall of Parliament House. And sir William Dean with some beef jerky, had been put in his pocket and obviously we sat on the line and I had to work just along and she alerted to his pocket and there's a lot that I think there's a lovely picture on the Canberra times of you know going up and sniffing the governors pocket. And also I was a bit annoyed it was it was like “snooty dog arrest GG” and I thought she was nnooty about it. I got to talk to Sir William and Lady Dean afterwards. Absolutely lovely couple and they obviously come from government house. And you know being from Canberra there’s a lot of Kangaroos around there and they have a German shepherd which was quite prone to chasing the Kangaroos.

About a year later, I was waiting on the floor for my flight to come down and this was just before the Olympics, this was in 1999. And Sir William Dean was part of the delegation that had been to Greece for the Olympics and he came back through. He was down at the bottom of the carousel and I was waiting at the shop and he actually came over and said hello to me and remembered me. That was, that was pretty special of all the people he meets you and you know during his time as governor.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, that's probably a lot of respect for the role that you do and the rest of the handlers do as part of a biosecurity force. We’ve talked about, some of the attributes that make a good detector dog and the ability to hunt and the food response. When you think back, can you think of a few attributes that might make a really good handler for people that might want to apply in the future?

Dee Apps:

Well, I think certainly a lot of the staff that have come through to join the detector dog program have come through the animal quarantine, they've been working animal quarantine stations. I also found most of our handlers also have horses, have a big interest in riding horses. So those kind of attributes, you know you're able to read an animal's behaviour and know how to bond, how to train. And because obviously as a detector dog handler you're responsible for your dog safety, health and well-being and so obviously if you're going to pick up your dog in the morning and you have worked with animals and obviously know your own dog that well, you should be able to go in and instantly say “Ok, well I don't know, something wrong here this morning.“ You know, coats not, eyes were a bit dull and you know they can't ring in sick like we do. So it's up to us, to make sure that you know they're fit and healthy. So having that background in dogs, in handling dogs, especially Eastern Creek where you work with so many different breeds. You get, you just instantly get that feeling or just by looking at your dog, you know there’s something going on here.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, for sure. And you mentioned the start of your day you go and pick up your dog from the kennel. Can you just run through what a day would look like working as the handler?

Dee Apps:

Yeah, obviously I did AM shift for the first year I was at Sydney Airport, so I would arrive at the kennels about 5:00, let Jess out into the exercise yard for going to the toilet and take her coat off because if it was winter it gets quite cool at Eastern Creek so the dogs will wear coats at night. Thick padded coats. So then put her up on the table, just run my hands over and make sure it's alright. Just feel her feet, make sure she wasn't sensitive about her paws. Just check her ears, make sure she’s got no ear infections. Look at her eyes, make sure she looks nice and healthy. Then hopped in the van and off to the airport.

Casey Baines:

Yep. And then and then once you went to the airport, was it just screening passengers the whole time? Are there other duties that a handler had?

Dee Apps:

To begin with obviously because I hadn't worked at the International Airport, I'd come from Eastern Creek. I obviously had to learn all the rules and regulations and identify products that coming into the country so I'd work Jess probably until about 11:00, then spend an hour and a half, two hours studying for my quarantine exam.

Casey Baines:

Alright, yep so you could pass that. Wow. When you think back on your time as a handler, are there things that you might have changed or things that you might have focused on differently or anything like that?

Dee Apps:

I don't think so and I think because with the program being so new there was lots of first you know. We obviously, especially Rachel when she was anyone there, you had to sort of work things out for yourself. But obviously as the program got bigger and more handlers came on board and they would not so much back out, but you know you had other, like when I joined Rachel, she was a great mentor to me but we also could discuss issues we were having with our dogs with one another. Then as more handlers came on board and we were having training days together and things like that. We could work on, if a dog was alerting to chocolate, you make sure you got lots of chocolate in the bag so the dog doesn't alert. It's quite easy to train them on the items you want them to find. You can imagine passengers coming in with so much foodstuffs in their bag, which a lot of it is allowed. And so there's you know, you get and even you get lemon scented shampoo and bread and Donuts and cakes and biscuits and chocolate. So the dog then to distinguish what it's looking for between you know in all that. But it can be pretty frustrating too, as a dog handler. Like you might have days where you know maybe you should have gone to bed a bit earlier as well. Because shift work is quite tiring.

Casey Baines:

Oh, for sure. But I imagine as a handler the next day you come in, your face would just light up every time you saw Jessie or saw your dog again right?

Dee Apps:

Yeah. And the thing is, like every day was exciting. You didn't know what passengers you're going to encounter, whether you're going to make a great seizure, who might come through the airport. So every day was different. You're dealing with people from different languages, different cultures so it was never a boring job, that's for sure.

Casey Baines:

Yeah for sure. Just thinking after you finish your time in the detector dog program and I know you absolutely love dogs. Have you followed the progress of a detector dog handler, have you bought into more of our biosecurity practises now we’ve changed from AQIS to biosecurity or following anything like that?

Dee Apps:

Yeah I've certainly you know and obviously kept in touch with some of my handlers from the program. And they would fill me in, you know, probably what changes are going on and, and of course you know, a lot of things that we did then, it's probably not even happening in the program now. The way that we operate, a lot of the dog teams I think are now delivered to the airport. The handlers don't go to the kennels. So there's probably quite a lot of change from when I was in the program. But I think still the joy of working with a dog far outweighs any negative. Nothing like a happy face to see you in the morning and a wagging tail.

Casey Baines:

Exactly every single day, that's the best thing about dogs. And you mentioned that you when you finish, you heard back more information from your colleagues. Did you really have a good sense of community? As a small group of handlers, I feel like that probably would have been one of the big draw cards.

Dee Apps:

Yes, it was lovely. Especially because I was in the program for so long, you know, and handlers would come in and, you know, not just through the work environment, but you would see them get married and have children. So it was like this you were part of like this one big family anyway. And it is such a specialised job, especially at the beginning there was just Rachel and Harold, they were the first 2 handlers in Australia. So then to have more and more teams come on board and then of course we, the active program got running as well with our active dogs at the mail exchanges. It was just, it was really a pleasure to go to work everyday.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, for sure. We're getting close to our time Dee, but one final question for you. When you think about your time through the program would you have any advice for anyone who might want to become a detector dog handler in the future?

Dee Apps:

Well, it's certainly a great job. I think certainly you need great communication skills and also great observation skills. You know, you need to be aware of what's going on at the floor. Is there anything that might harm your dog? Is there a passenger in some weird outfit that the dogs going to freak out? And sense of humour is really handy as well. But also because you represented the department and I think you, probably not at the time realised how much people are watching what you do. Obviously be professional and do your job with integrity as well. But it's such a rewarding job to be in, I mean the opportunity for me to not only work in Sydney but in Cairns and Brisbane. I attended the international detector dog conference, the first one ever in New Zealand. Been to Parliament House, screened President Bush and screened Olympics and Commonwealth Games teams, you know things I've never imagined I would ever be doing.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, wow, sounds like such a wonderful career. Before we do wrap up, is there anything in particular that I haven't asked about that you'd love to tell everyone.

Dee Apps:

I know you said, I think one of the questions was about the most interesting seizure or? Yeah, I was working Jess over at hall “C” and she suddenly got an air scent and her nose went up and off we went, completely around to the other side of the carousel and there was only a couple of passengers there and the one guy she was heading towards didn't even have a bag. But I'm like, what's going on here, has he got something in his pocket? And she instantly went up, sniffed at his shoes and sat. And what had happened he got one leaf stuck between his shoelaces. He hadn't even noticed he'd been out walking before he flew from America and hadn't realised he’d got this leaf stuck in his shoelace. Which just blew me away because people think it’s when you make a big seizure, but it's like the couple of grapes that they find or grapevine cutting in somebody's pocket that just blow you away as well.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, for sure and that that tells you one, how absolutely fabulous the noses of dogs are and how their ability to find something so small. And then two, just how sometimes it doesn't have to be a deliberate act everything still poses as a biosecurity risk and we need to make sure we control everything.

Dee Apps:

So yeah, exactly. And when you consider all the other scents are going around in an airport when you maybe got 400 passengers at the carousels all carrying bags often from countries, you know, it never ceases to blow you away how amazing the beagles were and it was just such. So to come in at the on the ground floor of the Beagle Brigade as you said, as we were known then. Fabulous job, absolutely loved it.

Casey Baines:

Yeah for sure well, we might call it a wrap there. I just want say thank you so much for taking your time out of your day Dee to tell us some of your stories through the program and to be part of our 30th anniversary. It's amazing that the detector dog program has made it that far and I'm sure it will probably make it that far again with how amazing it is. So thank you again.

Dee Apps:

My pleasure. You know the detector dog program’s such a huge part of my life, my studies followed everything Beagle. It was just a joy to work there. And thanks, Casey, for the time to just talk about my time with the program.

Casey Baines:

Yeah, such an amazing story.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s episode of Detect and Protect. You can find our more information on the department's website or by visiting biosecurity.gov.au. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast series to get updates on future topics and learn more about Australian biosecurity. Also be sure to follow us on our social media pages. Thanks very much for listening everybody. And we will catch you on the next episode of Detect and Protect.