Government buying up labs

[TXduckdog]

Anyone hear the scuttlebutt about the federal procurement program of buying labs for "sniffer" duty in Iraq/Afghan?

Supposedly, some folks have procurement contracts with the feds to buy labs. Paying a pretty penny, too.

[Julie R.]

It's true. There are several lucrative grants run by former retriever pros and they pay varying prices for started Labs. They train them for bomb dogs overseas. It's nothing new--there's tons of grant money out there for dog training, for everything from contraband sniffing dogs (USDA, for illegal plants and things like monkey meat smuggled in from foreign countries), accelerant sniffing dogs, police dogs, drug sniffing dogs, etc. The bomb dog groups pay good money if you can unload a sorry dog but less than a good one with good training is worth. They also pay trainers pretty good money. Or so I hear

[Kristie Wilder]

There are contracts all over the place... Everything from government agencies to government contractors. Nothing new... Several thousand dollars for a good dog. Lots of money in it with the right hookup. Of course, also lots of issues with groups getting contracts and not providing good quality training for dogs/handlers. Several large groups from KBR to blackwater to eodtech, etc. etc. Some have lost and gained contracts. Huge money in it, though. Contracts into the millions in some cases for procurement, training, delivery, onsite management (kennel managers overseas), etc. etc.

If someone has prior military experience and dog experience, they could make six-ish figures managing kennels in combat zones...

-K

[Scott Parker]

I know a guy that's a trainer in Ga that just got back from Iraq they sent him to Ca first to train the dogs and the soldiers that would be handling them. He said they had some nice dogs and it was hard to think about how some of them wouldn't make it back.

[Doug Moore]

I know of a few guys on here that train "bomb" dogs. Dogs are trained and then must pass their certification and then to California to meet up with their handlers before heading to Iraq/Afghanistan. The group I know of had around 340 confirmed finds last year and only lost 1 dog to a heat stroke.

[Colonel Blimp]

Not just Labs and not just the US.

A chum of mine has just donated a Springer to Her Majesties Prison Service as a drug sniffer dog. A small ESS can rummage in places a Lab can't. He was told that HMP are crying out for good sized Labs from hunting lines to do people searches (ie jump up and sniff).

So all the Bad Lads will be losing their weed to a dog I helped train on basic OB; serve them right too!

I've seen explosive sniffing dogs in training and the RAF's GSDs that used to guard the atomic bomb stores ... really sweet natured little doggies

Eug

[GulfCoast]

I have a good friend who has trained explosive detection dogs for the USAF program. They pay a nice price for a dog that can pass all the tests, but I can assure you, they DON'T all pass the tests.

[TXduckdog]

If someone has prior military experience and dog experience, they could make six-ish figures managing kennels in combat zones...

-K

So, where can someone get further info on this situation?


I know about the dogs that don't make the training, there is a real need for homes of the ones that don't make the training, standards are pretty high.

There is no adoption fee, but there is an application and an interview involved. The DoD Military Dog Working School at Lackland AFB in SA, Tx has 4 or 5 adoptees at any given time. I'm looking into possibility of getting one.

They also have a procurement program 4 times a year, from what I understand.But are interested in only started dogs.

[Breck]

Not totally unrelated to this topic.

Job Opportunity with Triple Canopy, Reston VA. They took over in Iraq for Blackwater/Xe.
Explosive Detection Dog Handler.
Requires Secret Clearance and weapons quals.

http://careers.triplecanopy.com/care...Wb6TPtbNYzE%3d

[jeff t.]

In the southeast, it is my understanding that Field Trial washouts are in demand for this purpose and that it has decreased the availability and increased the purchase price of washouts for hunt testers, hunters and pets.