Torch is a dog trained to find explosives. He will use his nose to find landmines
A dog in Alberta is using his nose in a good way.
Torch is a Belgian Malinois who is 3 years old and has been trained by experts to find explosives. He will go to Ukraine in the fall to find landmines and unexploded ordinances, which are explosives that didn’t go off or didn’t work the way they were supposed to.
Torch was trained by Alberta K9, a company in Gull Lake, Alberta, that prepares dogs for jobs in law enforcement, personal protection, and private security.
Firefighter Aid Ukraine, a charity in Edmonton, pays for the dog’s trip abroad. Usually, a dog with Torch’s unique skills would be worth $25,000. But Alberta K9 is letting the charity use Torch for free.
“We just wanted to find a meaningful way to help out,” said Alberta K9 co-owner Matt LaPointe.
A perfect fit for a dog that is “focused.
Torch was born in 2019 and is a late bloomer. In 2021, Marshall, one of his littermates, started working for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services as a dog that sniffs out flammable liquids.
LaPointe said that he and his wife, Kelsey LaPointe, who is also a co-owner, knew they had a good dog in the kennel, but they were looking for a match for Torch’s personality.
“He’s a very, very focused and intense dog,” he said. “With everything going on in Ukraine, we thought it would be a good idea to teach him how to find explosives.”
Listen | A dog from Alberta is going to Ukraine to save lives.
LaPointe wanted to change careers, so he got in touch with Firefighter Aid Ukraine. This organization trains Ukrainian first responders and raises money for firefighters.
Kevin Royle, who is in charge of the project, said that Torch is one of the more unique gifts they’ve sent overseas.
“We’ve sent over very valuable things like X-ray machines and machines for anesthesiologists,” he said. “But to be able to send something like this over, which is so unique… It is pretty amazing.”
A very specialized machine for sniffin
Through scent association, dogs can be taught to find explosives. When they find a certain scent, they let their handler know, which gets them a treat. For landmine detection, the smell is buried deep underground, and training can look a little different depending on the job and the workplace.
“There’s a little bit of fine tuning,” LaPointe said. Torch was taught both English and hand signals so that he could work quietly.
When Torch finds the smell of real explosives, he gets a toy instead of food, and he has learned to back away from the site so he doesn’t set off whatever it is he’s found.
Doing a doggone good jo
In September, Torch and a handler will go to Ukraine.Firefighter Aid Ukraine is trying to raise about $80,000 to send Torch and the rest of the team to Kyiv.
Ukraine has its own program for training working dogs, but it was made based on what the country needed before the war. Since the war began in 2022, there are too many landmines and unexploded bombs for them to deal with.
“This dog is going to help me solve a lot of problems,” Royle said. “It hurts their economy, their security, and, of course, the safety of the public. And it’s thought that clearing mines will take 10 years for every year of fighting.
He said that Torch will make a difference right away.
A four-legged legac
Alberta K9 has sent more than 100 specially trained dogs all over the world. Torch will be the first dog to go outside of North America.
The company already has dogs that can sniff out drugs, guns, mold, and bed bugs. They also help Native American communities by giving them dogs that can find drugs and alcohol.
LaPointe, who is Métis, says that being able to give back to communities through his dogs makes all the difference.
He said, “We love making a difference wherever we can.” “Dogs are a resource that isn’t used nearly enough.”