Veteran border force dog Vulk hangs up his harness

Veteran border force dog Vulk hangs up his harness
By Zach Havard


Australian border force (ABF) dog Vulk is has worked his last shift protecting the Australian community from illicit drugs after working alongside border police nationwide.

The ABF Detector Dog Program (DDP) mostly uses Labrador Retrievers due to their high drive, steady temperament, adaptability to challenging environments and non-threatening appearance. Detector dog teams screen both people and cargo and work at international airports, seaports and mail facilities, and licensed cargo depots.

Vulk is responsible for one of the largest narcotics busts in the history of the ABF detector dog unit when he sat next to a sea container at a Sydney shipping port on a three week secondment to the city.

Vulk on the job. (Supplied – Australian border force)

Susan Tucci, ABF Western Australia dog unit supervisor said the dog sat, wagging its tail.

“This was his way of indicating he could smell a narcotic in the container, which further inspection by ABF officers revealed to be nearly four tonnes of ephedrine concealed in green tea bottles, and 350kg of methamphetamine inside buckets of plaster,” Tucci said, adding that this lead to an arrest and significant prison term for the man behind the importation.

The ABF places great value on the work of the detector dogs and their handlers, as one of the many resources available to disrupt illicit drugs coming across Australia’s border.

“Vulk has provided an outstanding service to the Australian community. As a narcotics detection dog he has used his highly trained sense of smell to detect countless attempted imports of drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis,” Tucci said.

Dogs like Vulk form a strong bond with their handlers as they train and work together on a daily basis. Like most retired ABF dogs, Vulk will live with his handler Robert and his family, with whom he spent the most years while on duty.

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