BASE PREPARED TO SNIFF OUT DRUGS

CFB Esquimalt has gained an unusual employee, a four-legged furry
one.

At base divisions last October, Base Commander Capt(N) Mike Williamson
introduced Roxie, a two-year-old chocolate Labrador, fully certified
as a drug detection canine.

Roxie is the first canine in the CF trained solely to detect illegal
drugs.

The only Military Police working dogs authorized by the Canadian
Forces Provost Marshal are the two currently trained and located at
Military Police detachments Esquimalt and Halifax. CFB Halifax's dog
is trained to do a myriad of tasks including bomb sniffing.

"Roxie is an incredibly talented dog, and paired with her handler MCpl
Bernard Parker, they will make a very successful team," says Sgt Diana
Demeules, a Military Police member who was active in bringing Roxie to
the base.

Born and bred at Ness Lake Retrievers in Prince George by breeder Lori
Schroder, Roxie comes from a lineage of working dogs.

"It has taken six years of careful selection, but this line of
Labradors have an excellent disposition and are well suited for this
type of work," says Schroder. "Roxie's two brothers are currently
working with the Victoria Police, and we're sure she will be equally
successful."

Roxie showed off her keen sense of smell during her "swearing in"
ceremony Oct. 4. She successfully sniffed out drugs planted in Sgt
Demeules right boot, even scratching the exact boot where the
marijuana was hidden. Then, in less than 10 seconds, Roxie found
planted drugs, unbeknownst to the Base Commander, in the podium where
he was standing.

"Really it was thanks to LCdr Lucie Tremblay, and the Base Commander's
support that we had the opportunity to get Roxie," says Sgt Demeules.
"A single case of illicit drug use or possession is one too many, and
we need to confront the problem head on. Roxie will allow us to do
just that."

Capt(N) Williamson says the problem of use and possession of illicit
drugs on the base is taken very seriously by the Canadian Forces.

"My aim as Base Commander is to equip all members of the team with the
tools they need to do their job. The Military Police are no
different," he says. "I determined that prior to the acquisition of
Roxie, the MPs were not fully equipped for the very important mission
of ensuring and enforcing a drug-free environment on the base. They
will use the drug detection canine to assist them in controlling the
presence of illicit drugs on the base."

Sgt Demeules said there was a lot of competition for the position as
Roxie's handler. "There were a lot of candidates who wanted the job,
but we just knew that MCpl Parker had the qualities we were looking
for," she says.

Last July, MCpl Parker moved to the Island from CFB Petawawa for the
job.

Sgt Mike Chicorelli, a dog handler with the Victoria Police
Department, trained both Roxie and MCpl Parker.

"Roxie is a quick learner and she wants to please. Training for drug
detection is a big learning curve, but they continue to impress me,"
says Sgt Chicorelli. "Training for both the handler and the dog is a
lot more work than people realize. And it is never-ending, for the
rest of their partnership they will have to continue to train on a
daily basis."

Roxie can detect the odour of narcotics even after they have been
removed from the vicinity.

"The dog will still alert where the drugs were hours after they are
gone," says Sgt Chicorelli. "Upon detecting the drugs, the dog will
raise its tail, begin breathing deeply and then, when sure of the
trace, will sit to alert its handler."

After making an alert Roxie is rewarded by MCpl Parker with a
sock-covered ball.

"The reward has to be something she gets excited about, something she
really wants," says MCpl Parker. "To her, the ball means I am going to
play with her, and I make sure that I come through with it each time."

Roxie's daily schedule has not been worked out, but people can expect
to see her around the base, as well as in the ships.

In order to work in ships, Roxie has a special harness that allows
MCpl Parker to lower her down the stairs via a pulley system rather
than risking injury on the steep stairs. "She'll go anywhere; it's up
to me to make sure she does it safely and securely," he says.

MCpl Parker will also undergo canine first aid training in case Roxie
mistakenly gets a nose full of narcotics.

"I will carry the proper medications and once finished this course, I
will know how to help her if she is in trouble," he says. "I want to
guarantee that we'll get to work together for many years to come."

Sgt Demeules expects Roxie's reputation will spark calls from other
bases looking for help.

"We're not ruling out travelling with her to other bases, and we plan
on working together with Victoria Police in the future," says Sgt
Demeules. "It will be a cooperative effort."