A day in the life of Keno, an RNZAF Military Working Dog

The sun is glaring down on the inside perimeter of RNZAF Base Ohakea Air Force Base, and patrol dog Keno of RNZAF’s Military Working Dog Unit is in full attack mode.

While emitting a vicious gnarl, his jaw is tightly locked around the arm of a balaclava-clad suspect, who lies pinned to the ground, the perpetrator swiftly detained.

This is only an exercise, but the six-year-old Belgian Malinois shows no sign of ever letting go. Not until he is issued the command by his handler, Aircraftman Dylan McClintock.

“What we’re doing here is a simulated security breach, focusing on ceases and bite-work."

The exercise is one of a variety of drills undertaken by dog and handler on any given working day, each one part of an extensive training regime that prepares them for a diverse range of potential security threats.

Flight Sergeant Shep Shepherd, the Military Working Dog manager for the RNZAF, provides direction to the service's Military Working Dog capability around areas such as training and policy.

“Patrol Dogs are a ‘force multiplier,’” says F/S Shepherd. “That means if we deploy into other areas of operations for the NZDF such as the Pacific or Australia on exercise, then there is an expectation that the dogs will go with the airframes and the personnel and provide deployment security for those aircraft and assets abroad.”

The patrol dog capability for the Air Force is currently divided into two separate units, Whenuapai and Ohakea. In the latter case, the dog facility was built as protection for RNZAF aircraft.

Inter-service training with other government organisations is actively encouraged, both with the NZ Army’s Infantry Support Dog Unit and the NZ Police Dog Section, maximising the potential for crossover training opportunities.

Inside the Ohakea facility, large framed photos of current and retired patrol dogs hang on the walls, celebrating their achievements and showing the admiration the unit has for these intelligent and hard-working animals.

For Keno and AC McClintock, the first outdoor activity of the day is a circuit of obedience and agility drills, where Keno’s precision in executing highly specified, nuanced commands is on full display.

Keno hustles through tunnels, leaps over high posts, and runs over narrow railing at AC McClintock’s command, each obstacle representative of what he might face on a deployment.

At six years old, Keno is one of the unit’s older dogs. The average retirement age of a working dog is seven, however AC McClintock says Keno has a high chance of being approved for an additional two years of service.

“That’s basically because he’s just such a good dog. He’s smart. He’s loyal. He’s obedient. And like a trusty Toyota, he just goes and goes and goes.”

Keno’s training regime is substantial, but the physical and emotional well-being of every working dog is the unit’s utmost priority.

The dogs receive a weekly session of general husbandry, where their body and teeth are checked thoroughly to monitor their condition.

The building is generous in size and design. Each dog has their own spacious kennel, almost the same size as a room in the Officers Mess. The back wall features a small gate that enters a green outdoor play area, allowing them constant access to ample space and fresh air.

The kennel walls are painted a light shade of blue, a colour that brings the dogs a sense of calm. Additionally, the unit plays pacifying music throughout the barracks to help them relax.

“They seem to like Jack Johnson,” says Corporal Rikki Rawleigh, whose own patrol dog, Havoc, a three-year-old Belgian Malinois would soon feature in the day’s activities.

In the afternoon, AC McClintock puts on a large bite-proof jacket and a black balaclava preparing to face Havoc.

This is customary practice – the handlers do not dress as suspects before their own assigned dogs in simulated combat exercises so as not to confuse the dog or discourage the unity between the dog and handler.

This drill begins with Havoc strapped to the “bite-box”, while a masked suspect attempts to wrestle free from Havoc’s unrelenting bite grip. Havoc is soon released from the box, where the bout ends up going to ground.  

This simulates the type of challenge the working dogs may face in future deployments.

“In the event of a security breach, it’s possible they could come up against offenders armed with knives or even guns,” says AC McClintock.

This aligns with what CPL Rawleigh calls the three core functions of the working dog – detect, deter, and detain.

The exercise is an adrenaline-charged exchange, as Winston, the base’s resident ginger cat, quickly U-turns on the western horizon, rethinking his stance that the unit should also be open to cats.

For the handlers, the bite-suit is a sturdy protective vest, but they don’t escape these drills unscathed. Each round against a patrol dog in attack-mode leaves them with bruises despite the armour, brought on by the sheer ferocity and willpower these canines possess.

For this training the team makes sure to use the best protection and safety protocols, but the dogs will always leave a mark, because they are trained to use force.

AC McClintock’s arms are marked with more than his tattoos. Training sessions with Keno have left him with bruises from recent encounters, and scars from more historic ones.

“As a handler, you will get bitten and bruised at some point along the line. But that’s all part of it.”

F/S Shepherd explains that in the case of the RNZAF, the dogs are first and foremost a highly valuable military asset. However, he is quick to affirm that the bond formed between handler and canine is an emotional one. This intuitive connection runs so deep that the dog’s mood state will mirror that of their handler.

“If I come in and I’m not having a good day, Keno picks up on that,” says AC McClintock.

“If I’m frustrated about something, he’ll be frustrated. If I’m nervous, he’ll be nervous.”

In such an instance, a different handler would step in and take Keno for the day. This speaks to how the unit has each other’s back, a shared value that clearly transcends the bond between dog and handler and extends to the working relationship of the personnel.

The day concludes with a cooling swim for Keno and AC McClintock in the rehabilitation pool, which has been instrumental in Keno’s rehab from shoulder surgery two years ago.

Every fibre of Keno’s being, through nature, training, and time spent together, is geared toward protecting AC McClintock. However, this protective understanding between them is a two-way street. F/S Shepherd emphasises that the ultimate test of a patrol dog’s capability comes in the event of a real life scenario.

“When something unexpected happens in a real life security event with no warning at all, does the dog protect their handler like he’s been trained to do?”

The care, communication, and synchronicity displayed by Keno and AC McClintock over the course of the day comes as a surefire indication of the affirmative.

Nearing the end of the training day, the mid-afternoon sun becomes particularly hot. Noticing the rise in the concrete temperature, McClintock picks up Keno and holds him in his arms, saving Keno’s paw pads from potential burn.

“You sweat for me every day,” he says.

“So I’ll sweat for you.”

The strength and sacredness of this bond is the foundation on which the unit operates. On the surface they are handler and canine, but both serve as watchdogs. 

Both live and breathe to protect each other, which in turn allows them to safeguard their fellow personnel across the entire NZDF.

In the greater scheme, it is by protecting each other, that they ensure the safety of the people and assets of Aotearoa New Zealand.