UWinnipeg has added Wesley, a mine-detection dog to the UWinnipeg Family. Wesley is currently training with Canadian International Demining Corporation with A Dog Named Jimmy in Bosnia so he can start his life saving work.
Wesley is a two- year old handsome Belgian Shepard-Malinois and so is his colleague Jimmy. In June 2009 UWinnipeg Went to the Dogs when we made the announcement that we successfully raised the funds.
The University would like to thank all that contributed to this worthy cause. UWinnipeg has raised the more than the $15,360 to purchase Wesley. Once trained he will be working in Bosnia and saving civilian lives.
Please keep checking this site for Wesley updates.
STORIES ON OTHER K9 HEROES
Friday, November 19, 2010
Japanese chihuahua sniffs her way into police’s search-and-rescue division
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A Dog Named Jimmy
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A Nose Knows
JUNO AWARD WINNERS NATHAN
Performed to help raise funds for Wesley.
WINE FOR WESLEY FUNDRAISER RAISED $1875
Mine-sniffing dogs are one of the most productive and safest ways of increasing the efficiency of demining and returning the land to productive use without the dogs coming into direct contact with the mines.
The health & safety for the dog is a primary concern.
Wesley is a concrete result of The University of Winnipeg’s Global College’s No Landmines Action Week that took place on campus in the last week of November 2007.
Landmines claim a victim every 22 minutes
DID YOU KNOW
MINE SNIFFING DOGS are 10X more efficient than conventional methods. i.e. A dog and his handler can clear the size of a football field in three days without the dog it takes 30.
These incredible dogs are remarkably adept at identifying the location of mines, without coming into direct contact with them.
THE SAFETY LEVEL IS HIGH, the false alarm rate is low & the teams find mines before people get hurt.
MINE SNIFFING DOGS are especially effective where non-metallic or plastic-encased mines are laid, since they are difficult to find using conventional methods.
Dogs can sense odours at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans. Because of this heightened sense of smell, they can detect explosives from a safe distance.
INFO ON LANDMINES
Landmines are indiscriminate weapons – they do not distinguish between a soldier’s footstep or a child’s.
Their toll is devastating, and the consequences of their use are felt years after the war is over.
Landmine victims suffer debilitating physical and emotional injuries, ‘victims’ families and communities are plagued by psychological and economic burdens, and the environmental impact of landmines on their surroundings is significant.
Landmines also impede long-term reconstruction of war-torn societies, the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes, and political reconciliation and peace.
Related links:
http://www.canadianlandmine.org/
WESLEY will help demine areas in the world so children can take a step without worrying if it is their last.
INFO ON DOGS & TRAINING
The dogs are selected at 18 months of age
The dogs are predominantly German Sheppard
Wesley will be trained in Bosnia, the country that he will be working in.
The health & safety for the dog is a primary concern.
