A Sydney-based detector dog has been named one of the country’s top service animals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Six-year-old black Labrador Retriever ‘Vespa’ from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry kennel was honoured with The Australasian Animal Registry Service Dog Award for intercepting 1,300 biosecurity risk items across 129 commodities in 2023, the most of any biosecurity detector dog in the country.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Secretary, Adam Fennessy PSM, congratulated Vespa’s handler, Perrie, on receiving the award at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s Canine Hero Awards at the 2024 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
“Congratulations to both Perrie and Vespa on being recognised for their very important work at Sydney’s International Airport and mail centre,” Secretary Fennessy said.
“It takes a special type of person to train and work with our detector dogs, and Perrie and Vespa have displayed exemplary dedication to keeping Australia free from exotic pests and diseases.
“The 2024 Service Dog Award is also a wonderful acknowledgement of the dedication of our biosecurity detector dog teams and the role they play in protecting Australia’s unique biosecurity status.
“Vespa’s results show why detector dogs are highly regarded as a detection tool, and this year she sniffed out finds like beef burgers and smaller items, such as seeds.”
Perrie, who has only worked as a handler for two years, said she was inspired to become a detector dog handler while watching the TV show Border Security.
“As a handler, I can pursue my passion for animals and environmental conservation by protecting Australia from exotic pests and diseases,” Perrie said. “I feel a great sense of pride, celebrating the dogs’ successes and seeing the dogs reach new heights with their training.
“I am very lucky to have such a wonderful colleague in Vespa, as she consistently brings a hundred percent to the work she does.”
When she’s not hot on the heels of biosecurity risks, Vespa likes to put up her paws and unwind.
“After a hard day’s work, Vespa likes to sit in the sun and play with her toy or have herself a tummy rub,” Perrie said. “When the weather is warm, Vespa loves to swim in the pool to cool off.”
