Arson K9 Tanya puts on demonstration for “Arson Awareness Week”
Deputy State Fire Marshal John Galaska says it best: “any good investigation is a good team effort”. That team includes firefighters, the community, and in cases of arson, Tanya.
Tanya is the only arson K9 in the state of Delaware and Galaska says ” Tanya’s a tool. A successful investigation, once a fire occurs from the investigative side, the search for the truth comes out.” That truth is sniffed out by Tanya, a black lab, whose nose can smell in parts per quintillion. Not only can they detect the faintest scent, but labrador retrievers can also discriminate the scents from one another.
State Farm sponsors the Arson Dog Program. Started in 1993, more than 360 teams have been placed in 44 states, as well as Washington D.C. and Canada. Currently, there are 91 active teams trained through the State Farm Arson Dog Program operating in North America. Dave Phillips, a spokesperson for State Farm, tells 47ABC “If you’re going to set a fire, you’re going to get caught.”
That’s because Tanya is trained several times a day to detect if there was a liquid accelerant like gasoline present in a fire. Aside from a general “love to work” disposition, Tanya is motivated by food. Since she was a puppy, she has only received food for a successful alert. Galaska says “Tanya is a food reward dog, so she only eats out of my hand.” Which means in the course of a normal work day, Galaska will have to stop what he’s doing to let Tanya find her food, by way of sniffing out the source of a fire.
Tanya was originally in a seeing eye dog program, deemed too energetic, she was transferred into State Farm’s Arson Dog Program. She lives and works with Galaska, who must train her daily. He says it’s important to keep her in a rhythm, and keep their bond strong. Whether it’s at work at the Sussex County State Fire Marshal’s Office, on a call anywhere from Wilmington to Delmar, or even at home – the food training is what Galaska says is necessary to keep Tanya on top of her game, just like an Olympic athlete. “With that she eats just as much as any normal dog would. Within limits I keep her fit and trim just like an athlete she’s a working dog, she has a job to do”.
“There’s numerous training scenarios that I set up and each day she probably goes to my hand for food 40 or 50 times until she gets her daily allotment” Galaska explains to 47ABC. And the fact that she’s getting fed by hand is an important factor. As ancestors of wolves, dogs seek a leader. By directly feeding Tanya, Galaska becomes the Alpha in their relationship. He explains it by saying “It’s very intensive in that way but the bond is inseparable. Any dog will bond with its owner, but when you’re the direct food source, and the pack leader in that way, it bonds – it’s a very tight bond.” And that bond solidifies a strong team mentality necessary for the job at hand, because Galaska says detecting arson is a team effort.
When it comes to Arson, Phillips tells 47ABC “you’re looking at billions of dollars worth of damages each year, and hundreds of lives that are lost.” He adds to treat any fire with care and advises to call your insurance agent immediately, because you never know when you may be a victim of arson.
More information on the Arson Dog program can be found at http://arsondog.org/
