09/01/2024
Our babies now 3 weeks old. Some will be available.
Bastion K9 Academy
- Home
- Swaziland
- Mhlambanyatsi
- Bastion K9 Academy
Bastion K9 Acadamy is a working K9 training school. Operational trailing services, security K9 needs. Trailing Dog at Montigny K9 Academy.
Operational track history for Rex:45
2015
15 July Suspected arson fire
26 July Rex solved this murder case after following the track from the scene where two men fought and one was left unconscious. The man followed to the homestead then confessed to the fight and the unconscious man later died from his injuries.
15 August Shop robbery at Malutha after which the suspects were handed over to the c
ommunity police.
7 September Suspected arson fire.
13 October Suspected arsonists found at nearby clinic.
2016
5 January Suspected robbery at Community centre.
14 January Attempted assault on 3 women.
27 January Rex and Julia followed the trail of A Shop robbery.
28 January Rex and Julia followed the trail of a ra**st but he was arrested on 4 July 2017 due to the co-operation from the community.
13 April Rex followed a ra**st from the crime scene to a homestead.
25 April A petty theft stole some clothing in Mhlambanyatsi and Rex followed him 5km to Mantabeni.
27 April Exposed a secret spaza shop, where merchandise stolen from Mantabeni, where sold.
26 April A honey thief set fire to the forest near Siphocosini, but was followed 5km to his homestead.
4 May A honey thief confessed after he was located half a kilometre from the bee fire scene.
3 June Cigarette sterted by harvesters at scene.
8 June A honey thief was located 4 km from the bee fire.
21 June Harvesters started a fire with a dropped cigarette, located a mere 70 m from the scene.
6 July An arsonist was followed from a clear footprint starting point to a home stead.
8 July Two honey thieves confessed after they were located 1 km from the bee fire.
17 July Call out to Piggs Peak for an arsonist fire with a difficult start, but we indicated a suspect after a track of 4 km.
23 July Collecting messages left by the arsonist along the 1.68km track of an arsonist fire.
19 August Suspected arsonist disappeared into a funeral procession after a 2.5km track.
22 August Suspected arson fire lead to a homestead.
27 August Suspected arsonist fire with a track of 4km in the Tonkwane area and lead to a Bar.
31 August Confessed arsonist fire with a track of 10km in the Makhwane area and lead to a homestead.
2 September Suspected arson fire at Echo compartment lead to a homestead.
4 September Suspected arson fire at November compartment lead to a homestead.
12 September Squatters were followed from an abandoned house in Bhunya village.
13 September Stafford South Africa an arsonist set multiple fires before returning to a homestead.
24 September A clothing thief was followed in Bulembu village.
8 October Battery thieve was apprehended in Bulembu.
14 November Break in at Mantabeni township.
23 November Followed Langa Bricks Mpaka workers who participated in a strike to 3 different homesteads and one company compound.
2 December Break in at Mhlambanyatsi village lead to Mambazu Kamagaya.
30 December Break I at Mr Masuku’s homestead but the trail was only followed to a major road.
2017
3 January Track lead to Jimmy’s homestead near Dwalile.
22 February Break in at a home near Nhlangano Mill and the track lead to a homestead. Case handed to the police.
4 May Robbers followed 1,5km inti forest where they loaded a vehicle with the stolen goods and fled the scene.
12 May Copper theft in Delta compartment, track of 1,5km lead to a homestead.
7 June Copper theft at Tamboti Estate track 4,2km over the Usuthu river to a homestead where the Sphokaneni police later arrested the thieves.
8 June Break in at Sdwala, 3km track lead to a homestead.
7 July Poachers followed from C5 airstrip to a community, however we kept our distance to safeguard our dogs.
19 July Copper theft in Ntondozi area where the track was interrupted by cattle dip tank day near a homestead.
23 July Bee fire at Romeo compartment, track of 1.9km, where a boy confessed to starting a fire 15 hours previously.
24 July Break in at Bunya, track of 2.06km through the village. Julia Operational tracks:42
2015
21 June Suspected arson fire.
11 August Julia followed the trail of 2 juvenile poachers from the forest.
2016
28 January Julia and Rex followed the trail of a ra**st but he was arrested on 4 July 2017 due to the co-operation from the community.
12 April Attempted break in, distance 4km.
13 April R**e suspect followed 7km.
27 January Rex and Julia followed the trail of Shop robbery.
29 April Bee fire, track with a distance of 3km to Mambazu.
30 April Attack on a security guard at the Westend Bar in Mhlambanyatsi, track followed 2km to a road.
8 June Bee fire , track of 3km lead to a homestead.
1 July Theft at Mhlambanyatsi, distance 1.5km.
6 July Office break in, a mere 100 meter.
18 July Arsonist fire of 1km.
20 July Theft of a goat on a 6km track after which the suspect cross border into South Africa.
23 July After a track of 11km the serial thieve and ra**st got on a bus at the bus rank, but he was arrested 4 July 2017 due to the co-operation from the community.
8 August A break in at a compound and the suspect indicated within the compound.
20 August Arson fire, track lead 2km from start.
20 August Arson fire in Swazi Plantations, track lead 1,5km to a squatter camp.
8 September Theft of bee hives at Bulembu, track followed 100m to the South African border, but the hives were retrieved along the track.
14 September Honey theft with a track of 7km.
22 September Ra**st followed 2km, but he was arrested on 4 July 2017 due to the co-operation from the community.
30 September break in at fire station and track lead 4km to a homestead.
4 October Robbery at the Bar in Bunya, track lead 4km to a compound.
19 October Slaughter of a dead cow in the forest, two tracks were followed. One to the cow herders’ homestead and the other 6km to the homestead of 2 boys.
3 November Theft of a car battery and clothes from Kwene High School, track was 1km long.
9 November Break in track followed 3km up to a big river.
10 November Suspected robber followed 2km, but accusers were unable to describe the suspect.
12 November Robbery at Mhlambanyatsi, track followed 4km, suspect arrested 4 July 2017 due to the co-operation from the community.
30 December Robbery with a track leading 1km to a main road.
2017
6 January Copper theft, track followed 5km until the dog became too tired and Rex successfully completed the trail.
10 February Attempted theft of a drum of diesel. Track followed 7km to a homestead.
12 January Break in at Sgangeni Zamokwakhe Grocery but no trail was taken due to heavy scene contamination
28 March Copper theft, track of 4km lead to a homestead.
6 April Decided not to utilize any dogs as the scene was destroyed at Bunya village.
4 May Robbery, the track was 3km and lead to a homestead.
12 May Copper theft, the track was 150m and lead to a homestead.
21 May Theft of a car battery and assault on the security guard, track was 2km and lead to a homestead.
2 June Robbery at community offices at Mhlambanyatsi. Followed track 200m until suspect was apprehended and confessed.
3 June Bee fire, track was 200m and ended at the second homestead in a row.
16 June Theft of a fire arm at Mpolonjeni, track was 5.3km long and lead to a homestead where the police arrested a suspect.
21 June Break in at Malkerns, track of 800m lead to a bus stop.
22 June Cigarette fire started at a bus stop, track of 1.5km lead to a homestead.
11 July Cigarette fire, track of 2km that lead to a 5 men who wanted to plant dagga in the forest.
15 July Bee fire, track of 1.5km lead to a homestead.
17 July Honey thief was followed 2.65km, an estimated 3 days after the incident, to an abandoned compound near the border between Bulembu and South Africa.
04/12/2023
Roet enjoying a swim. Roet specializes in Detection.
28/11/2023
Some of our pups in training. These pups are being trained in trailing, detection and protection.
05/01/2022
Yster: Our one in a million K9!
We are very sad to report that we have lost our top boy Yster due to complications after a small operation. Our effort below is to pay homage to him as a champion K9 that contributed so much in the fight against crime and meant so much to individuals and communities around us.
• In 2017 we heard about a bloodhound male and its brother that was abandoned in Nelspruit, RSA, by the owners. They were left in the yard to die. There he was rescued by Gavin Holden-Smith of HTSC.
• We bought Yster from Gavin and immediately started his training as a trailing dog. We received Yster in December 2017 as a 2-year-old. We trained him in the Kocher method and he progressed very well, so much so that he was operationally ready in 3 months. During his training we immediately realized that he is a unique character with special abilities. Nothing fazes him, no test was ever too big, all challenges accepted.
• He ran his first mission on 10 of March 2018 and performed very well. We usually start the dogs on “soft” (not that important) missions. His first mission was a stolen water pipe, and he followed the trail perfectly until he reached a flooded river that could not be crossed. A great start in his crime fighting career.
• In his career he ran 105 missions for us, mostly crime related but also did some search and rescue work. He had a very high success rate and gave us a lot of information to solve crimes. I know it is hard to believe but he did not have even one mission where he lost the trail, ever. We as humans failed him a few times because we could not always interpret or understand his behavior and clues to solve all the crimes and for that we apologize my boy!
• His oldest confirmed trail was 3 weeks old on a missing person’s case and he did a few trails over 10km long with no problem. Urban, Sub-urban, Rural and Industrial sites with all the distractions was no problem to Yster at all.
• Yster gave us a great litter of new puppies in 2019 and more than 50% of the litter is currently operational as trailing dogs. Thank you my boy, your legacy lives on!
• Farewell Yster, you are forever in our hearts and in the hearts of all the people you have helped. Thank you for teaching us to become better handlers and trainers. You are a legend in Eswatini!
We salute you Yster boy, rest easy now, your work is done..!
04/09/2021
28/08/2021
Bee fire: Wednesday, 21 July.
08:28 Rangers in our Forest requested the K9 team attend to a fire inside our forest. Irresponsible honey harvesting was established as the cause of the fire as bees were flying frantically around the scene and a burnt piece of jean cloth was found on the ground. The team suspect the arsonist had filled the hive with soil after extracting the combs.
10:19 The team arrive at the scene. Although the fire started in the morning, the honey harvesting could have occurred many days previously with the fire smouldering inside the ground, waiting for higher temperatures, warm wind of drier humidity to ignite again. Time is always a challenge, but yet the dogs nose was admirably able to still discriminate that individuals' scent and follow the trail.
10:41 Yster was started from the burnt jean fabric.
11:37 Yster established the targeted scent trail direction, trailing into a dagga field nearby the fire scene . He passed the dagga field, trailing a total of 1.2 km out to a community where he led the team to a homestead where there were 2 men.
Our internal investigations team then took over.
16/08/2021
Missing person; Monday, 14 June.
The supervisor at a working site inside our forest reported a worker missing after she had complained about diarrhea at 11:40. She had visited the ablution block, but was not found anywhere in the compound after she had been missing for 2 hours.
1. The team was called out at 13:58 and arrived at the compound at 14:25.
2. At 14:38 Fudge was started from the missing womans' bag.
3. He trailed towards the nearest main road.
4. Fudge then turned into the forest and found the lady unconscious in the forest.
5. The ambulance was called out and she was taken tot the nearest hospital.
23/07/2021
Sheep theft: Monday, 21 June.
A farmer requested the K9 assistance with a case of sheep theft. The intestines and skin of 2 sheep were found in a bag at the border fence of the property and the carcasses were missing.
1. The request came in at 13:37 and the team arrived on site at 15:30.
2. At 15:53 Fudge was started from the bag.
3. He trailed out taking the road next to the fence line.
4. Where this road crossed the road leading to the main entrance of the farm, Fudge took a right turn and changed his trailing behavior indicating to the handler that he had selected the refresher cross trail of the targeted scent.
5. Fudge trailed through the farm to the sheep kraal where he indicated a worker.
6. The police questioned the workers and search their homes to find the stolen meat inside their houses.
7. The suspects were taken into custody.
21/07/2021
Fire; Monday, 12 July.
The K9 team received a report of a fire inside our forest at 01:56 in the morning and was requested to attend to the mission at first light.
1. The team arrived on scene at 07:04.
2. At 08:45 Zorro was started by casting around the fire scene as there was no clear starting point.
3. Zorro trailed 5.11 km over hills through communities where he went in-between homesteads and ended with a vehicle pick-up indication on a public road.
4. Due to the nature and position of the fire scene and the direction of the trail, the team together with the police suspect a cattle herdsmen collecting cattle from their grazing field and negligently leaving a heating fire or cigarette stump.
20/07/2021
Honey harvesting fire: Saturday 17 July.
The K9 team was called out to assist in finding the arsonist after a natural bee hive was irresponsibly harvested and destroyed in our forest.
1. The call came in at 12:12.
2. At 12:29 the team received the report that the fire had been contained and the mop up was completed. This means a fire crew of up to 50 men had contaminated the scene to extinguish the fire.
3. The team arrived on scene at 14:02.
4. At 14:22 Yster was started on honey combs left by the suspect next to the harvested bee hive.
5. He trailed 2.44km out of the burnt area to indicate a homestead at 14:52.
6. Our internal investigations team questioned the female resident at the homestead and she admitted that a 30 year old resident had arrived at the homestead with honey.
7. She reported him to be mentally unstable and therefore according to law he cannot be arrested.
19/07/2021
Cattle theft; Sunday, 18 July.
Our K9 team was called out at 01:25 to assist the police with a case where cattle were stolen during the evening.
1. The team arrived on scene at 03:01.
2. Fudge was started at 03:15 from where the kraal was opened to drive the cattle out.
3. Fudge trailed 9km through the community, past our forest and through another community to give a vehicle pick-up indication at 05:04 on a main road.
4. A manual search was launched for the cattle in the vicinity of the vehicle pick-up and ALL cattle were recovered before 08:00.
5. Well done team K9!!!
06/07/2021
Missing child: Wednesday, 24 March.
A desperate mother phoned asking for help in finding her missing 12 year old daughter. She was last seen at 17:30 the previous evening at her homestead. Neighbors said they last saw her with a friend. The mother was informed that she could only report a missing person after 24h. However due to our good standing with the police, we were able to get a police officer to assist us in immediate reaction.
1. The call came in at 08:00 and the team was on site at 09:18.
2. The friend told the team that the missing girl had informed her around 18:00 that she was going to the nearest bus stop to phone her mother.
3. After getting the police officer on site the team was able to start Yster at 12:08 from a hat belonging to the missing child at the place last seen by the friend.
4. Yster trailed 1.75 km to the nearest bus stop where he gave a vehicle pick-up indication, confirming the friend's story.
5. Fortunately at 13:39 the girl was found in the forest some distance from her home.
6. She was traumatized and unable to tell what had happened to her after she had gotten into a vehicle at the bus stop.
7. Fortunately she was physically unharmed.
8. We do not know whether our swift reaction unsettled the cruel plan devised to harm her or what had really happened, but are very grateful she was recovered safely.
16/06/2021
Break- in: Monday, 22 March.
1. The team was called out to attend a break-in scene at 14:17 and arrived on scene at 15:55.
2. Scent was collected from the cables where the electric wall plug was removed and stolen.
3. Fudge was started from this at 16:16.
4. Fudge trailed to the property fence and gave a fence ID.
5. The team picked him over the fence where he continued with his 22km trail to end with a vehicle pick-up indication at a bus stop.
6. Fudge did however connect the crime scene with the homestead of the main suspect.
7. The suspect was not at his house at the time of the trail, but had left on foot to the bus stop where Fudge indicated he was picked up.
8. The police will return to the homestead to continue the investigation on the main suspect as he has a record of a previous break-in at the same crime scene.
03/06/2021
Poaching: Monday, 15 March.
At 17:06 a lady reported her children had found a free roaming donkey caught in a snare inside the forest. The Rangers reacted and the K9 unit was activated.
1. The team arrived on scene at 17:19.
2. It is unknown when the snare was set, as it could have been there for a long time. A cap was found 150 meter from the snare, but there are no guarantees that it had belonged to the poacher.
3. All the children and Rangers who had been at the scene were recalled so the dog could scent discriminate and eliminate their outgoing trails from that of the person who had set the snare.
4. At 18:24 Xander was started from the snare itself.
5. Xander established the targeted scent direction of travel on his own, trailing inside the pine forest.
6. He trailed through the forest, along a tar road and gave a vehicle pick-up indication at a local bus stop.
7. Fortunately the local police spotted a suspicious vehicle at a police stop further along the tar road.
8. Other poached meat were confiscated and the poachers were arrested.
25/05/2021
Diesel theft: Monday, 15 March.
The police requested the assistance of the K9 unit with a case where 3 batteries were taken from 2 different trucks and the diesel was siphoned from 1 of the trucks. It was unknown when the theft had occurred during the weekend.
1. The call was received at 08:11 and the team arrived on scene at 10:10.
2. The battery terminal cover was used as scent article and Yorris was started from this at 10:30.
3. Yorris trailed inside the yard and gave a gate ID.
4. The gate was opened and he trailed through to indicate at the next gate.
5. This gate was opened and he trailed through 1.36km, taking a gravel road then turning onto a small path which led the team to a certain homestead.
6. Yorris gave a vehicle pick-up indication inside the yard and the team observed turning tyre marks in the dust.
7. The police then took over for further investigation.
24/05/2021
Timber theft: Thursday, 11 March.
17:54 A report came in that a person was seen taking timber poles from our forest without permission. Upon detection, the person had dropped the log and ran away.
19:03 K9 team arrive on site.
19:43 Together with the investigation team they decided to come back early in the morning because the area is very steep and densely overgrown. The Rangers were left to patrol around and protect the scene.
06:29 The K9 team was back at the scene and found push-in shoes just a few meters from where the logs were dropped by the suspect.
06:46 Yorris was started from the shoes.
06:57 More poles we found along Yorris' trail.
07:20 Yorris had passed a homestead were logs were stacked outside the fence, but continued with his 2km trail through a homestead to end by indicating another homestead.
Our internal investigations team took over.
24/05/2021
Theft: Wednesday, 3 March.
The K9 team was called out to assist in a case of vehicle theft. The criminals had stolen a vehicle, which they then used to commit robberies in a community. They were chased by the local police and used the vehicle to drive to their rented flat where they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
1. The K9 team was called out at 10:03 and arrived on scene at 12:18.
2. At 12:43 Yster was started from inside the abandoned vehicle.
3. Yster trailed out and went in the direction the suspects were seen fleeing.
4. He trailed 1.67km past many flats until he reached a main tar road where he gave a vehicle pick-up indication.
5. The information was given to the police.
25/04/2021
Battery theft: Sunday, 21 February.
11:51 The team reacted to the call out of battery theft at one of our contractors. The driver parks the truck at his homestead next to a store at night and found the batteries missing in the morning.
13:14 The team arrive on site.
13:24 The team make a scent article from the battery terminals.
13:44 Fudge is started from the scent article.
13:55 Fudge trailed towards a house inside the homestead, checked in the rooms and the outhouse, making some circles around the house then sat in front of the main door without identifying any person.
13:56 The information was given to the police and they will continue from there.
25/04/2021
Battery theft: Monday, 15 February.
1. Two batteries had been stolen from a vehicle in our forest around 15:45 in the afternoon. The driver had run out of fuel and left the vehicle to collect petrol from a nearby compound. On his return the batteries were missing.
2. The team was called out at 17:25 and arrived on scene at 19:16.
3. At 19:22 Yster was started from the battery cage.
4. Yster trailed a few meters and gave a vehicle pick-up indication.
5. The driver informed the team that there had been a manual crew installing a fence at the site.
6. A vehicle had also been spotted at the site, opening and closing doors and then driving off.
7. The team concluded that the batteries had been hidden and later collected in the vehicle.
8. The license number is known to the police and they will continue with the investigation.
190meter.
24/04/2021
Break-in: Sunday, 14 February.
08:28 The team received a request for assistance at a break-in that occurred during the night, in a nearby town.
10:05 The team arrive at the scene but wait for the complainant to return to the property.
11:03 The complainant arrive and the team asses the situation.
11:13 The culprits had broken a metal decoration in the wall to gain entry and broke a door with a slasher belonging to the complainant, to get into the house.
11:17 Julia was started outside the wall from the broken metal pieces.
12:18 Julia trailed 1.7 km through 3 homestead to enter a homestead where the resident dogs attacked the team. The team protected her and stopped the trail.
12:27 The police requested the team start Zorro to gain clarity on Julia's' trail.
12:50 He trailed in the same direction ( did not cut the corner as Julia had, she is know for doing this) and led the team to the same homestead.
13:17 The dogs were contained and Zorro continues with his 3.54km trail through 2 more homesteads to give a vehicle pick-up indication in another homestead.
13:28 The police took over with the investigation as they had gathered that in all the homesteads mapped by the dogs, there had been a visitor during the morning and the police would involve him in their investigation.
24/04/2021
Break-in, Friday, 12 February.
The K9 team received the request for assistance at a break-in at 08:09.
1. The complainant reported that around 2 am she had heard footsteps in her sitting room, she investigated and saw culprits escaping through a window. She discovered the television stolen.
2. The team arrived on site at 08:56.
3. At 09:10 Yorris was started from a pair of safely boots left in a bag by the culprits.
4. Yorris established the direction of the trail, going through fields, where he took a small path which led the team to a certain homestead.
5. Yorris went to the outhouse, continued along a small path, passed several homesteads, then entered another homestead with the same surname.
6. Yorris trailed to a door, but then exited the homestead taking a small path over the hill and led the team back to the first homestead where he gave a vehicle pick-up indication inside the yard.
7. Total trail length 1.66km.
8. The residents at the first homestead confirmed that they had heard someone running into their outhouse in the middle of the night.
9. The police then took over for further investigation.
24/04/2021
Theft: Thursday, 11 February.
The team received a request for assistance in the theft of 2 corrugated iron roofing sheets from a homestead. The sheets had been stolen during the previous evening, but the team was only called out at 16:09.
1. The team arrived at 17:50.
2. The two stolen corrugated iron sheets were kept in the yard, but there were no visible footprint or grass disturbance at the place where the stolen iron sheet were placed.
3. The team decided to start Zorro with a general area start at 18:13.
4. Zorro established the trail direction taking a small path leaving the homestead to join onto a tarred road passing below it.
5. He trailed 450 meter on the tarred road when he turned left taking a small gravel road passing two homesteads to lead the team to a certain homestead with dogs.
6. The police requested the residents put away their dogs, but the dogs were uncontrollable.
7. The police then observed that there is no path passing by the homestead, so they will continue with further investigation.
24/04/2021
Break-in, Wednesday, 10 February.
1. The team received the request for assistance at a house break-in during the previous evening at 07:37.
2. While the residents were out between 19:00 and 20:00, the culprits gained entry through a window and existed through the kitchen door.
3. They stole laptops, clothes, sneakers, cellphones and ZAR 410, all goods amounting to ZAR 16700.10.
4. At 09:57 Yster was started from inside the house using scent collected on the window which the suspect broke to gain entry.
5. Yster trailed out and led the team to the fence where he gave a fence ID.
6. The team picked him up and over the fence and he proceeded to a homestead where Yster ID one room.
7. The police took the man inside for questioning.
23/04/2021
Car break-in: Monday 8 February.
It was a very busy day for our K9 teams as after the first 2 missions, they were called out at 11:23 to assist the police with a case of breaking into and theft from a parked vehicle.
1. The team arrived on scene at 12:00 and found the suspects had tried to hot-wire the vehicle but fortunately failed.
2. At 12:11 Fudge was started from a cap left by the suspect in the vehicle.
3. Fudge trailed 900 meter to indicate a homestead.
4. The police took over for further investigation.
23/04/2021
Break-in: Monday, 8 February.
1. The team was called out at 08:08 to assist the police in a case of a shop break-in in a nearby town.
2. They arrived on scene at 09:30 and found damage to the roof where the culprits had gained entry.
3. A used drink container was selected as scent article and Yorris was started from it at 09:44.
4. He trailed 3.4km passing several homesteads before entering one, which he cleared and then gave a vehicle pick-up indication.
5. Several boys were seen running away as the police approached, so the team decided to start Zorro in order to determine if the boys were involved.
6. Zorro was started from the original scent article placed where the boys had been, but he did not take trail and gave a NSI indication, thus eliminating the boys.
7. The team suspect they were smoking dagga and was therefore afraid of the police.
23/04/2021
Copper theft: Monday, 8 February.
The client requested the K9 team return to do an ID parade on the workers possibly involved in the Copper theft case of 5 February.
1. The team was called out at 07:56 and arrived on scene at 09:04.
2. At 09:24 the team started with the scent article preserved from the trail of 5 February.
3. They divided the workers into 6 groups of 10 people each and utilized Fudge and Yster alternatively on 3 groups each. 4. In the 6th group Yster identified a certain man and the information was given to the client.
23/04/2021
Copper theft: Friday, 5 February
At 09:56 K9 received a request to assist EEC in a case of copper theft.
1. Fudge was started at 13:15 from visible foot prints where 15 meter of cable was cut and stolen.
2. He trailed down to a running stream leading the team to the main road, passing a second crime scene.
3. He trailed a few meters past the second scene, clearing two small paths, then he returned to the road to give a vehicle pick-up indication.
4. On Monday 8 February the complainant requested the team return to do an ID parade on workers suspected to be involved in the crime.
5. Yster did identify a suspect.
22/04/2021
Phone theft: Saturday, 6 February.
A forest worker reported her cell phone stolen from inside her bedroom. She had finished her shift at 12:00 and left the phone in a bag in her room when she went out. Upon her return she found it missing and reported to her supervisors. She suspected one of her collogues.
1. The team was activated at 17:48 and arrived on scene at 18:35.
2. At 19:02 Zorro was utilized in an ID parade with 7 of the fellow workers.
3. He trailed out from the scent article made from the ladies' handbag and identified a certain man.
4. The investigations team took over.
5. The next morning after collecting water, the complainant found the phone under the pillow on her bed.
6. The man identified by Zorro confessed to the crime.
6. The earpieces were still missing.
7. She assumes the suspect had put it back after the visit of the K9 team.
20/04/2021
Break-in: Saturday, 30 January.
1. 05:26 A break-in was reported. The resident had seen 3 armed suspects fleeing.
2. 06:43 K09 reported arrival at the break in scene.
3. The team collected scent from a safe touched by the suspects and started Fudge at 07:10.
4. Fudge trailed between sugarcane plots, crossed a stream where he then moved forwards and backwards along the sugarcane fence.
5. The team read the dog's body language and decided to jumped the fence.
6. Fudge picked the scent taking a road which led the team back to the gate of the property where the crime had been committed.
7. Fudge then sat in front of a man who was approaching the team along the road.
8. The man was a farm worker.
9. Total length of trail 2.34km
10. The police took over for further investigation.
Address
Country Club
Mhlambanyatsi
Telephone
Website
Alerts
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bastion K9 Academy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Business
Send a message to Bastion K9 Academy:
Videos
Start of an Intensity trail explained
Steve Mayer explains how to start an Intensity trail at the 2019 INBTI World Conference in Eswatini and man is that puppy exited to go!!!
Zorro Day 6
Helping the dog here, we start directly down wind from the find, but only reward when he is indication the find.
Bas Day 6
Working at the run behind Kennel house. Notice how he works the scent cone pushing the scent onto the rocks in the far corner and then finding the honey up wind.
Bas Day 5
Now only the honey pod is hidden in moms flower bed.
Zorro Day 4
Working out the puzzle that the boxes can be on the ground, but it's no use trying to eat the pod with food, you need to find the pod with honey.
Bas Day 4
All the boxes are now on the ground and the handler rewards with a game of tug on top of the honey box.
Zorro Day 3
Zorro is still on food as reward,but he doesn't mind the obstacles or distraction scents of food and rabbit poop.
Bas Day 2
He still takes chances, but we wait him out untill he moves to the honey box.
Shortcuts
Share
Montigny K9 Academy missions for 2019
Montigny K9 Academy was started in the Usutu forest, Swaziland in an effort to find and apprehend arsonists and people engaging in criminal activities within the borders of our forest. It is also our aim to assist the neighboring communities with combating criminal activities in their mists. To this end we have several dogs trained in trailing and have also bread a litter of Bloodhounds to train up as the new generation.
In January 2020 we celebrated running 400 missions in assisting individuals, communities and companies in fighting crime and finding lives.
Rex, Doberman Pincher
13 January- Rex did a mission in a nearby community where tools, concrete nails, water boots and a hack saw were stolen. Rex lead the police to a homestead where the police will continue with the investigation.
26 January-K9 Squad was called out to theft case where 5 x tires were stolen. The scene was well protected and there was soft rain throughout the night. Whilst waiting for the police to arrive, very hard rain started to fall. Rex took the spoor at 11:22 and indicated a vehicle pick up at the main road. The spoor was 2.26km long.
11 April- At 13:30 Rex had his first mission with his new handler, the theft of 2 goats in the early morning hours from a nearby community. He started the trail outside the kraal and followed the trail with the backup of the RSP, 2.68 km to an illegal crossing point in the fence line with South Africa. Welcome to the new TEAM REX.
7May- Rex was called out to a break-in that occurred sometime during the weekend. This happened at one of the housing complexes in the forest. R500 was stolen out of the house. Rex was started on a clear track of the perpetrator and after 630m, through the housing complex, Rex gave a person ID at two guys under a tree. The case was then handed over to the Police for Investigation. Well done Team Rex!!!
06 June- Honey Theft at Neighboring Community. Rex was called out to this case where honey was stolen from the Community Honey Farming Project. The theft happened sometime the previous day. 1. On the scene there were some good scent article but the bees were stinging everyone, great fun that, and the dogs could not get close. 2. The scent articles had to be removed from the danger area and Rex was scented and started the trail at 12:15. 3. Along the trail more evidence was found of discarded honey combs, great confirmation of the trail! 4. Rex had to cross a large river to follow the trail but he had no problems in following the trail over the water. 5. After 1,44km, Rex indicated a specific homestead that the thieves have entered. 6. The matter was then handed over to the Community Police
House Robbery: ON the 7th of this Month, at around 13:00 a High Ranking (General) Police official had a house Robbery. One suspect was shot and wounded. The K9 squad was requested to help fins clues as to where the suspects ran to. 1. Rex arrived ,at 16:50, on the scene and blood was found. This indicated a good starting point for the trail. 2. He started inside the yard and indicated that the suspect went over the fence. 3. He then followed the trail but to everyone's surprise he showed the suspect entered a house just 2 houses down the street. 4. He went inside the yard and did a strong Door ID on one of the side entrances to the house. 5. The police stormed inside and found out that 8 people live there and that one is missing. 6. More investigations confirmed that this man was the suspect and he is now on the run. The police has identified the man and justice will prevail here. 7. Well done Rex boy. Not your longest trail but the old man is still solid on scent!
12 July- Rex responded to a burglary at a home in a nearby village. 1. The theft of R 400 was only discovered when the resident arrived home from school at 16:10. 2. Rex was started at 18:55 on a footprint found inside and also outside the home. 3.He ran 4,34 km into the hills and ended at a dagga field. 4. The police requested that we stop the mission and they will continue with the case as they know who works those fields.
20 July- At 18:58 Rex reacted to a call out on a case of assault. 1. The suspect was known to the police, but they wanted to know where he was fleeing to. 2. Witnesses gave us direction last seen, a footprint of the shoes he was wearing was found on this path and his soccer boots warn the previous day was also used as scent article. A triple secured start! 3. Rex was started at 20:54. 4. He ran a trail of 20.8 km 5. The police ended the mission when he reached a big river as the suspects home is right across the river. 6. His mother reported that he broke into her home that night, stole his belongings and ran away to one of the big cities. 7. Even though our boy is almost 8 years old, he showed great motivation on this trail and did it at a fast jog, leaving back-up behind. Well done old boy!!
25 August- At 10:10 the police requested the help of our K9 team with a theft at a nearby school. The suspects were disturbed while trying to steal cement bags from the new school building project. It is unclear how many they took. 1. The window was broken and 9 bags of cement were piled outside. 2. The police collected a beany and boot along the exit rout, but one beany was left that the team used as a scent article. 3. Rex was started at 11:18 on the second beany where the suspects had crossed the fence. 4. Rex indicated where the suspects had crossed the second fence on a corner. 5. He ran a trail of 900m to indicate on a homestead nearby. 6. The police thanked us for the assistance and will continue with the investigation.
28 August - The Office workers at a local village noticed that there was a break-in at the office during the night. A window was broken, curtains were moved to cover the windows of the office where the safe is kept and an attempt was made to get into safe and the main office. 1. K9 received the request for assistance at 08:20, Charley and Rex reacted. 2. Charley was started at 12:22 with one of the curtains as a scent article next to the safe. She moved to the door of the main office and then indicated on the broken window. 3. She was taken outside and restarted. She ran a trail of 1.4 km to give a door ID on one of the houses in the village. 4. As we suspected multiple suspects, we also started Rex, but on a different curtain. 5. Rex ran a trail of 2.55 km, entering a yard along the way, but ending his trail by indicating another house on the edge of the village. 6. The information was handed over to the police.
Julia
1 January- At 18:00 today a suspect vehicle was stopped in the village by the Police. The occupants decided to jump out and ran away into our forest. They are clearly visitors here because they ran right past the gate of our dog school. The handlers quickly grabbed Julia and took the spoor on the request of the Police. Within 1km the suspect were found and caught by the K9 squad. The suspects were then handed over to the Police!
19 January- Julia was called out to the resin project in our forest. Bags used to catty gutters used in the harvesting of resin was stolen the previous day. Julia lead them to a homestead outside the forest.
6 February- At 02:00 in the morning, Julia was called out to a Robbery and Assault case in a community just outside our Forest. The incident happened at 00:30 and a jacket was left on the scene by the criminals. Julia took scent at 03:05 and followed the spoor for 5.7km to the main tar road where she indicated a vehicle pick-up. Some of the stolen goods where found about 1.1km from the starting point on the trail. The police is very happy with the clues they have received and will continue with the investigation.
27 February- At 17:00 Julia was called out to investigate missing money from a community members home.There was no sign of a break-in. Her handler started her on a room bail out, walked her past all household members, after which Julia made many turns in the yard. She investigated the road past the neighbors but repeatedly returned to the home, Indicating that no unknown person left the yard. The case is handed over to the community member.
11 March- Julia was called out to a break-in at a neighboring homestead. The owner left for church in the morning and on his return, late the afternoon, he found the break-in at his home.
K9 squad arrived at the scene at 18:30 but the lightning and rain was very heavy and they could not work. They decided to return the next day,
At 09:30 the next day Julia was utilized on the scene using a wheelbarrow that was used to climb into the window, as the scent article. A young manliving at the homestead showed the police the wheelbarrow the previous day and was not present at the scene.
Julia ran a very good track, showing the entry/exit point at the fence, for about 3km. (You can see one funny, long back track on the spoor, i will say more about this later) The police then stopped the trail because the dog was going straight to the local school. They were under the impression that Julia took the young man's scent from the wheelbarrow and not the perpetrator's. (This was a mistake!)
2 days later the police phoned us and explained the following: 1. The young man does not go to that school. Their information was wrong! Upon hearing this, they went to the school and questioned the pupils. They found a suspect that confessed to the crime and then found the stolen goods at his home. 2. The funny back track was the road the suspect took to his home from the crime scene and then again the next morning to the school. Julia worked out that there is fresher scent from the suspect going the other way although the scent age differs in many hours. Well done girl!
Even when we did not identified a suspect this time, the information from the trail helped in solving the case!! Lesson learned: Finish the trail, do not assume anything!
26 March- Today Julia reacted to a call out of copper theft in the mill. She followed the spoor up to a nearby main road, indicating a vehicle pick-up.
31 March-At 06:00, an electrician was called out to a faulty line in the forest. He confirmed cable theft and Julia was called out to the scene. She was utilized at 16:00 on the spoor. She followed a trail of 14.8km , all along a main dirt road, from the scene. The 2 tracks found at the scene,a boot and a trainer, was seen a few times on the trail as confirmation. She exits the forest into the town where she showed great interest in an LDV (vehicle) under the tree and then continued into the parking lot and ID'd another sedan vehicle. A man then confronted the K9 team and things started to get a bit hairy with a crowd forming. That man was later identified as the owner of both vehicles (funny that!?). While we were waiting on the police, the owner of the vehicles left in the LDV. We finally handed over to the police at 20:00. They waited for the owner to return to his vehicle but he never showed up. The police is now on the case and looking for that man for questioning. Well done Julia and K9 team!!! Great work!
9 April- At 14;30 Julia reacted to the call out to a scene of a break-in at a grocery store in a nearby community. The incident occurred during the night, so the trail was 7 hours old or older. She lead the team 2.28km to a homestead. The case was handed over to the police.
24 April- Julia was called out to a missing person case at a nearby community. The person was last seen the previous day at 17:00 under a tree on his fathers' homestead. Julia eliminated all searchers who were on the scene, started the trail at 10:20 from a jacket worn the previous day by the missing person and followed the trail 2,13 km to indicate a vehicle pick up.
The police then received a call that the person was spotted at 03:00 that morning in a community some distance away. The K9 squad accompanied the police, but on arrival they were informed that the person had been found.
Although Julia could not lead the police to the missing person, her indication of a vehicle pick up gave the police the valuable information that the person was no longer in the area. Well done Team Julia.
4th of May, Julia was called out to a missing person's case. 1. Monday, 30 April: A child (5 years old) was kidnapped in front of 2 other children whilst playing under a tree. Men with balaclavas on simply picked the child up and ran away. 2. The family and extended family searched and then called the whole community to help. This is a lot of people. When the search was unsuccessful , the police was called in. Many police officers were called in to search and after 4 days, they called us. 3. Upon arrival, a good , clean scent article was collected at the child's home belonging to the child. It was a jacket the child wore the weekend before the abduction. 4. It was impossible to isolate the perpetrator's tracks of any article with his scent on because the scene was totally destroyed with hundreds of other footsteps for 4 days long 5. Julia was targeted on the jacked at the Place Last Seen and the handler decided to do 2 starting circles to give the dog enough opportunity to figure out the scents at the scene. Julia did give good head snaps on the 2 circles to indicate that there is scent available that is leaving the area. 6. As per normal procedure, the dog was pointed the opposite direction of the head snap and was told to start trailing. 7. Julia followed the trail for a short distance, about 500m, and then lifted her head, searching behaviour started but she turned back towards the starting point. She then eliminated a lot of footpaths in that area but ultimately showed the handler, No More Scent is available here.
11 May- Julia was called out to a scene where someone cut Timber in our forest to steal it.It was estimated that the timber was cut somewhere from late Wednesday to early morning Thursday.Julia started the spoor from a good foot print at the scene and followed the scent for 2,25 km where she then Identified a homestead
23 May 2018- Julia was called out to a case of copper cable theft in the Saw Mill. This was the most amazing trail I have experienced. I can not really describe how difficult the start was. I am so proud of Julia and her handler/team. 1. The theft happened on Friday night, 6 days ago. 2. The trail started in a very difficult area, 3 stories high, in a building we are busy demolishing. There are a lot of the grid walkways that you can see through and a lot of very steep steps made out of this. 3. We had to carry Julia up the steps 4. The dog was scented on some of the cables handled by the criminals. 5. She was very sure of the way out and followed the steps down to the 1st floor. Here she showed a lot of exiting body movements indicated that she had found fresher spoor. This was the first sign that the person could still be here inside the mill. 6. She exited the building and followed a trail to the canteen where she entered and cleared the area. 7. She then followed a trail on the cement roads and entered the workshop. This is a big building with a lot of mechanical equipment running, cutting, welding etc. 8. I was secretly wishing she would enter there as the main suspects in our copper theft, works in that building. 9. She then went and smelled/eliminated each person present in the workshop at the time, but did not give an ID on any person ( 20 people). 10. She then exited the building and immediately showed the trail has ended. 11. I immediately made a list of who is not in the building that should be there. 2 People were missing and YES, these are the guys we have always suspected!! Fantastic work Girl!! 12. In the aftermath we have had reports from eyewitnesses that the 1 suspect ran and hid in an vehicle whilst phoning the main suspect to warn him that the dog is on its way. He then ran and hid in the toilets inside the building.
20 June 2018- Julia was called out to a farm in Swaziland where the farmer had some people trying to start fires and block some of his roads with tires and rocks. This happened the previous day or sometime during the night. 1. K9 squad arrived on the scene at 11:38 2. The scene was heavily contaminated as there were many people there at this protest action. 3. At 12:00, Julia was scented on the tire placed in the road and she started well on the trail. 4. After 4km she indicated a specific homestead and the police went in to interrogate the home owner. 5. The K9 squad also identified that the same track was seen at the starting point and inside the homestead yard. 6. The police, after speaking to the owner, confirmed that the trail was positive and arrested the owner for the arson. They will get the names of the other people involved, from him. 7. Good work Julia and K9 team! You make us proud! And for the purest: There was a beautiful Fence ID also thrown into the mix along the trail!
26 June- At 7:30, Julia was called out to a copper theft in Matsapha. 1.The incident occurred the previous night and their security encouraged our team to start Julia on a hole in their fence. But after a thorough assessment of the yard, a battle sign in the form of a fresh bush cutting woven into the fence near a hole in the fence was spotted. 2. The team decided to start Julia outside the yard as it was presumed the thieves made their exit here. However, Julia entered the yard, ran past the crime scene and indicated an exit, over the fence, further along. 3.She quickly found a third hole in the fence, made her exit and trailed up to a dirt road where drag lines and vehicle tyre markings were spotted. Julia did a clear indication of a vehicle pick-up by sitting in front of her handler and looking him in the eyes. Lesson learned: never assume and ALWAYS trust your dog.
25 June 2018- A farmer across the border called for help with Arson Fire on his farm. A series of fires where lit during the weekend and the last one on Sunday night. 1. Julia and Yster were dispatched on Monday morning and arrived at the scene at 10:35. 2. After assessing the scene a clear foot print was found and Julia was scented on that print. (The track in red attached was her track) 3. A nice identical print was also seen along the track confirming the trail. 4. She ended at a homestead where a lot of local dogs were present. It was thought that she could have been stopped by the dogs and Yster was then restarted on the same footprint. 5. Yster started the spoor at 12:30. He ran an almost identical trail to hers ( Yster's track in white attached) 6. Yster found 6 guys near the end of his trail and after sniffing them all nicely, he jumped on one of them. That is his normal ID. 7. He then turned away from the people and completed the trail to the same homestead Julia stopped at. 8. Fantastic work Julia and Yster! The SAP took over and will investigate these guys. For the purest again: We have done a lot of Covered trails and Person ID's the last 2 months. Our dogs do not follow other dogs for fun. They are obedient to the odor we scent them on. So Yster confirmed Julia's trail and did not follow her, the ID on the trail tells us that he was definitely still working on the target odor!
29 June- At 14:14 Julia was started on a footprint at a cattle theft scene in South Africa. The cattle was stolen the previous day and driven through various farms as the thieves cut fences. Multiple footprints were seen along the way as additional cattle were stolen and the starting footprint was also confirmed. Where the ground was too hard for footprints, Julia was able to follow scent. The cattle was driven across a bridge and into a dense populated area. She ended the trail at a kraal and the team had to quickly evacuate as the inhabitants became very aggressive. A police case was opened by the farmer where the theft started and we hope the South African police will follow up on the investigation.
2 June- Julia reacted to a call out at a honey harvesting fire in our forest. 1. At 01:09 she was started from the paper used to smoke out the bees. 2. She ran the trail and ended at the same community Bas would finish his mission at on 7 July. 3. This community is know for their dagga farming and other illegal activities.
4 July- Julia reacted to a bee fire in our forest, reported at 17:34 on the 3rd of July. The manual crew spent the night extinguishing the fire and contaminating the scene. No footprint was available for the start and the only known object handled by the arsonist was the honey combs themselves. Even with such a strong smell, Julia was able to detect the human scent and found the correlating trail exiting the area. at 10:52. She started the trail at 10:52 and ran 1.2 km up to a home stead in a community known for not making use of our system for collecting honey from the bee hives in our forest. Two boys were identified by our investigators and given a stern reprimand and instructions on how to go about harvesting honey through the proper channels.
20 July- Julia reacted to a break-in and arson of a shop and bar at a nearby village. 1. On the evening of 19 July, the suspects broke into the bar. They broke a hole through the wall to enter the shop next door, vandalized the property and then burnt down the shop as they left. 2. The fire services were called out and contaminated the bar in their effort to extinguish the fire. Many people also contaminated the shop. 3. At 12:04 Julia was started on a plug lid removed from the wall by the vandals. 4. She ran a spoor of 1km to enter a homestead, exited the homestead and went to the one next door. 5.The police later confirmed that the two neighbours were both suspects. One was present at Julias start and therefore she eliminated him and only followed the scent of the person not present at the start.
06 Aug 2018, a farmer in South Africa contacted us for help with some arson fire incidents on his farms. The K9 squad was activated. 1. On the first farm there were about 14 fires started throughout Saturday and Sunday. 2. There was very high winds in play so much so that all traces of human tracks or signs were covered with dust and ash. No articles to start the fires were found also. This makes trailing very difficult as the starting point is totally unclear. 3. Julia was started in a casting pattern around one of the fires that was situated in the middle of all the fires. 4. One one of the casting legs, she gave a clear head snap and was off on the trail! 5. She followed a trail for about 3,1km going from one fire spot to the next, confirming that she is on the right scent. 6. At the end there was about 15 to 20 workers on a lunch break, sitting down, next to the road. She started to give her proximity alerts, Tail wagging fiercely, pulling into the harness with small jumps. 7. She passed about 15 worker and suddenly jumped right on top of one of the workers! This is her ID, especially when you are sitting down. She is such a friendly and loving dog that all she wants is cuddles and love but this worker was absolutely terrified and also showed a lot of stress and fear for being pointed out! 8. Well done girl! The farmer can now start to solve this problem on the farm because he knows who it was! 9.From there they went to the other farm but more about those trails later!
3 August-Fire: Yesterday at 18:00 one of our Towers reported a fire inside our forest. The fire crews were send out and the fire was totally extinguished at 20:33 1. The K9 squad was send in this morning at 07:33 and they tried to find the cause of the fire. 2. After searching about a 2 hectare area the cause was identified as a honey extraction gone wrong. 3. The Julia was then scented on the rocks around the bee hive and also on a piece of cloth that was burned. 4. On the starting circle around the fire she gave clear head snaps indicating that the scent/scent article at the starting was good 5. She was then started at the starting point again and took a very clear and good spoor to a nearby Harvesting Contractor's base of operation. The spoor was 800m long. 6. The investigation team then questioned the persons there and they confirmed that there were guys eating honey and talking about the bees yesterday! We will handle these guys in an appropriate way! 7. Well done Julia! 8. For the purest: We find that the emotional scent in these fire cases really help our dogs to "lock" onto the correct scent in these very difficult and contaminated starts. When a lot of bees are stinging you while you are taking out the honey, you tend to leave a lot of fear scent behind!
13 August- At 13:23, we received a request for assistance to a farmer in a nearby town. 4 Bags of 50 kg corn seeds were stolen from his store room. 1. Julia was started on the blue colored corn seeds found next to the store room at 17:00. No visible footprints were seen as there is grass all around. It is assumed that there were more than one perpetrator to carry the 4 bags, 1. She indicated at the fence where they crossed over, the team exited at the gate and the handler restarted her outside the fence. 2. Along the trail she also indicated more scattered seeds 3. She followed the trail 2,3km in a wide curve to end up at the main road by indicating a vehicle pick-up. 4. The case is handed over to the local police station.
13 Sept 2018- Multiple (6) break-ins at locally owned shops: K9 squad was called out in the morning after a spate of break-ins during the Wednesday night. Some shots were fired as well, at one of the shops by the owners. The police asked for any help of evidence to start this investigation from.
1. We had no idea which break-ins was first or last so we had to start somewhere and see what the dogs tells us. We first started Julia on the break-in far away from town ( About 6km). Two shops were targeted there. She quickly started from a clear foot print belonging to the criminals. She ran from the one targeted shop to the other one,linking the crimes nicely. From there she ran 3,6km on the tar road heading towards the town. It was clear that she will be going to town, so we stopped her there as she passed all the know criminal spots/houses of that immediate area. 2. We then started Sheila on the scene where the shooting happened and she was scented from the piece of plank that was used to break open the shop window. She took a good trail, running from 1 shop to the other, over the footbridge ( first time over there and she was a bit apprehensive) and crossing the main tar road to link up the trail with the other two shops broken into. This confirms that it was indeed the same people doing all break-ins. She then ended the trail with a great gate ID at a homestead, pulling hard to enter and find the man. We handed all info over to the police and they were ecstatic! 3. The place where she stopped is allegedly a well know suspect of many,many criminal cases and actions. The police said that they had all they need. 4. Well done Girls! Great job!
22 September. The theft of a satelite LNB, an attempted theft of the satelite dish and cutting of cables. 1. At 07:00 the owner of the home where the theft took place during the night reported the crime at the police station. 2. Julia and Zena reacted to the call-out and arrived at the scene at 09:17. 3. Zena was started on the geyser used as a ladder to reach the mounted satellite dish. 4. She ran a very short distance to a nearby home. She entered the yard and clearly indicated that the suspect lived here. 5. Julia was then started on the abandoned satellite dish and took a short spoor to the local bar, indicating that the suspect visited the bar after the crime. 6. We suspect more than one person was involved in the crime or a passerby thought to take the satellite dish and then changed their mind. 7. Our information has been handed over to the police station. 8. Julia's trail is in red and Zena ( aged 13 months) in black.
4 October- Julia reacted to a call out at a contractor in our forest. 1. During the rains on Wednesday night the suspects stole the battery and diesel from the tank of the contractors Logger vehicle. 2. At 09:20 K9 received a request for assistance. 3. They arrived at the scene at 10:19. 4. Upon investigations they found a screwdriver left by the suspects and could use this as a scent article to start the trail. 5. Julia was started on the trail at 10:31 and ran 870 meter to a clearing along the road and then returned to her handler, indicating a vehicle pick-up.
Charley
3 January- After Julia was disturbed by dogs on a trail, Charley was re-started at the homestead in Mhlangeni. She confirmed the trail Julia ran and lead the police to a homestead with a history of suspected criminal activity. 22 January- K9 Squad was called out to a break-in at a community shop. This happened at about 00:00 last night 21 Jan 2018. Charley was put on the spoor and she ran the spoor for 2.2km to indicate a homestead where the alleged perpetrator lives. The case was handed over to the RSP for further investigation. 5 February- At 14:00 Charley took spoor after a lot of clothes and other goods were found in the forest. These goods were lying there for at least 2 days. She did just over 3km and did a perfect Door ID at a community members home. All evidence were given to police. It was a perfect trail! 6 February- At 08:00, Charley was called out to break in at a local bar. A spoor was found on a chair where the criminals climb out of the window. She was scented on this spoor and she took off! The trail she followed lead to the main tar road and at about 800m the first evidence of chips and Savanna's , stolen from the bar, was found. Then she followed the spoor right on the tar road for another 5,3km where more evidence was found! At 6,24km the dog was stopped for water and a rest. The police then thanked us and said they now know who it was and they arrested the criminal within a few hundred meters from that point. He confessed and more importantly confirmed the whole trail that Charley ran!16 February - On Friday afternoon, at 17:00, Charley was called out to a break-in at Mhlambanyatsi. She was started on a spoor in the yard, passed all the inhabitants as scent present and followed the train to the bus stop, indicating a vehicle pick-up. RSP will continue with the investigation. 25 February- Charley was called out to an abandoned truck where the driver lost control. She started the trail as a vehicle bail out and followed the trail for 2 km up to a bus stop. At the bus stop there were people being aggressive towards our team, but Charley showed good maturity and was willing to defend her handler. 1 March-This morning two men stole batteries and radios from vehicles at a neighboring high school. The Police requested the help of the K9 team after one suspect was apprehended and one ran away. Charley followed a clear trail up to the fence, where she indicated that the suspect ran through the whole cut in the fence. She lead the team to a bus station 2,5 km further. The Police were grateful for the conformation of their suspicions. 2 March - At 08:23 this morning Charley was called out to assist at a copper theft. The thieves were disturbed in progress and left their tools, so she had a good scent article start. She trailed 6.6 km and indicated at a fence where an illegal footpath enters a game reserve. Police called off the mission at 14:11 as the footpath leads to a known community and the community police will continue with the investigation. 3 March- At 22:11 in the evening Charley was called out to a mission at a nearby community where two hikers were assaulted and robbed of their back packs. Charley took the spoor and found the back packs along the way, minus all edible goods. She lead the team 1 km further to a homestead where the police took over the investigation. 5 March- This morning at 09:12, Charley was called out to investigate a tyre stolen from a trailer used in our eucalyptus oil extraction plant. It was a bit of a short trail, as she indicated no more spoor and a vehicle pick up 10 meter from the starting point. Well done girl, a mission is a mission.
31 March- Saturday night at 02:45 , Charley reacted to a call for assistance at a house in our village. The occupant had hear someone trying to find entrance into the home. Security requested the K9 team to trail any outgoing trails as no clear starting point could be identified. Charley lead them 2.45 km to a nearby settlement. 4 April-Charley was called out today to a case of vandalism in the forest where our young tress were just pulled out of the ground and left to die. It was confirmed that this happened on Sunday. We have had a bit of rain in the last few days so there was no visible spoor or starting point. At 15:50, we used one of the uprooted trees as a scent article and Charley followed a good trail for about 850m to Identify a homestead. The mother at the homestead confirmed that her children was in the forest and could be guilty of this act. Investigations will continue with the children. Great work Charley, i knew you can take old spoor! Who said Mali's can only take 2 hour old spoor? 11 May 2018 - Charley was called out a theft incident out of a vehicle.The break-in happened sometime during the night and a few goods and money was stolen out of the Taxi.She was scented from a footprints ( scent was transferred to a scent pad) and she took a very good trail from the vehicle.She ran through a sub-urban area for 3,25km, over hard surfaces and tar road to indicate a specific house in a homestead. The owner was hostile but the police took over the scene and the investigation continues. 26 May - On the eve of 25 May we received a request for help in the search of a missing girl. 2. She was last seen at the homestead of her mother on 23 May. 3. Julia and later Charley were started on clothing found in the girls room. 4. Their trails left the homestead by different routes, but both went pass her fathers homestead to end in a vehicle pick-up at a bridge connecting the community with a main road. 5. Her mutilated body was found on the 27th nor far from where the dogs indicated vehicle pick-up. 6. It is suspected that the kidnappers returned the body to the family after her death. 8 June 2018- Honey Fire: During Thursday, somebody started a fire to get to the honey from a bee hive between some rocks. 1. The fire was seen later the night at 20:05 2. It took a crew of 8 people until 22:00 to contain the fire. 3. Charley was scented on the piece of cloth used to start the fire. At 10:05 this morning she started the trail confidently after looking around quite a bit for the exit spoor. I believe that starting a trail from a fire like this is very, very difficult for the dogs as almost all moisture is burned off and very little scent remains in small pockets. 4. She took a trail of 1,74 km to Identify a specific homestead by entering the gate. Well done girl!! No one will get away from us! 5. The investigators will take over now and find the person responsible for the fire. 19 June-At 14;40 the K9 squad was called out to investigate a fire in our forest. They arrived at the scene at 16;20 and after investigating found the cause of the fire as someone who had heated his lunch and left his spoon behind. Charley was scented off the spoon. With a strong head snap she took the trail 1,7 km into a community who is antagonistic towards our forest. Although she was still very eager to follow, she was stopped on the Forest Managers orders and rewarded with a quick intensity trail.22 June- Charley reacted to call out at a bee fire the previous day at Bulembu. The natural bee hive was in the bark of a tree and the are was completely burnt. After investigations, the team started Charley on some human waste and tissue paper in a non burnt area. It was confirmed that no member of the fire crew had relieved himself. Charley took the spoor 1km to indicate a contractor working in the forest. The investigation was handed over to the Fire Manager. 25 June- A local shop keeper reported a theft the previous night at her shop. The thief had entered through a window and left a size 8 footprint inside the shop on the table below the window. The RSP took fingerprints from the glass, but left the scene before our team arrived. At 12:50 Charley was started on goods inside the shop and took the spoor 930m entering a homestead and giving the no more scent ID. Upon reporting this to the shop keeper, she reminded the police of a previous incident whereby the shack behind this homestead was found to be suspicious. Hopefully the fingerprints will add weight together with our trail in convicting the thief. 28 June- Charley ran a trail from a bee harvesting fire inside our forest. The team was called out at 15:00 after a manual crew had extinguished the fire and Charley was started at 16:25. She took a trail 2.4km to end at a homestead outside our forest. The investigations team will take the case further. 17 July- At 08:16 copper theft at our mill was reported. 1. Charley reacted to the call out. 2. She was started at 10:33 on a visible footprint where they cut and dragged the copper wire out of the building. 3. She ran a spoor of 960m to indicate a vehicle pick-up on a small road next to the main road. 21 July- Herders from our cattle grazing project found that the mobile electric fence was cut during the night. 1. The solar panel, battery and other equipment were stolen from a container at the site. 2. All cattle were found grazing nearby. 3.Charley was started at 12:35 from the container. All herders who had touched the container were present, so she followed the scent of the missing person. 4. She ran 6 km to enter at a homestead indicating the thief lives here! 5. The investigations team confirmed that the son from that homestead is unemployed and a known trouble maker according to his mother. 6. No police were present at the time so the home could not be searched, The police will continue with the case. 6 August.Honey Hunter Fire: Early this morning the K9 squad was called out to a honey fire in our forest. 1. At 11:30 the K9 squad assessed the scene and found a stick and a cloth that was used to smoke out the bees. The bees were inside a tree. 2. It was probably an incident that happened over the weekend but the high winds (50 to 60km/h) started this fire today, 3. Charley was scented on the cloth and she ran a very good trail for about 1km 4. She indicated a homestead and the investigators will continue from here. Someone needs to be charged here! 5. Well done Charley, I see you were slower on the trail because it was old and the wind was pumping 28 August -The Office workers at a local village noticed that there was a break-in at the office during the night. A window was broken, curtains were moved to cover the windows of the office where the safe is kept and an attempt was made to get into safe and the main office. 1. K9 received the request for assistance at 08:20, Charley and Rex reacted. 2. Charley was started at 12:22 with one of the curtains as a scent article next to the safe. She moved to the door of the main office and then indicated on the broken window. 3. She was taken outside and restarted. She ran a trail of 1.4 km to give a door ID on one of the houses in the village. 4. As we suspected multiple suspects, we also started Rex, but on a different curtain. 5. Rex ran a trail of 2.55 km, entering a yard along the way, but ending his trail by indicating another house on the edge of the village.
Yster
8 March- Yster was sent on his first mission,100 meter stolen water pipe at the Mill Wash Lines. He followed the spoor up to the river crossing. Well done Yster.
19 April- Yster reacted to a call out to timber theft in our forest. He started the trail from 10 cut, but left behind timber, after the grazing cattle were chased away. He followed the approximately 10 hour old trail through a river crossing to indicate vehicle pick up at a tar road. Well done Team Yster, welcome to our K9 Missions Team.
12 May - Yster was called out to an attempted theft case inside our Saw Mill.At 06:00 a man was seen trying to steal a welder by putting inside a bag( see photo) He then ran away to somewhere inside the mill. It is a big place, over 2000 workers.At 08:38 Yster was scented of the bag with the welder inside and he took a good trail to the hole in the fence to indicate the escape route. The area inside the mill is almost exclusively concrete and obviously heavily contaminated with all the people walking in and out. Great start Yster!Trough the hole in the fence, Yster hit the tar road for a while and then a gravel road to a specific community area. By this time the witnesses identified the man and we found out that Yster is on his way to the community where this man lives. Nicely done Yster!
21 May- Yster was called out to a break-in case at a local shop,outside the forest. 1. The break-in happened during the previous night , entry through a window. 2. A clear track was seen and ID'd as the suspect's track. 3. Yster was started on the track at 10:10. 4. He followed at trail for 2,52km and the suspect's track was seen by the tracking team every now and again on the trail, 5. Yster entered the same homestead on three occasions after checking all around that homestead for exiting scent. 6. Well done Yster Boy! The police will continue to investigate the three young, male suspects living at that homestead. 7. In a previous break-in this year,from the same shop, Julia trailed to the house next door. So the police can really grill those guys well with this info.
02 June - Copper theft and Tools Stolen: During the Friday night more than 100kg of copper was stolen and also a lot of tools from a workshop. 1. Yster was called out to see if we can find the thieves. 2. He was scented on some clear prints ,where a wheelbarrow was also used,leaving the scene. 3. The tracks went over a huge old mine dump and then onto paved roads. 4. Yster followed the tracks for 3,44 km to a place where it was clear that 2 vehicles picked up the goods. He then followed the vehicles for a short while to indicate direction and then circled back to the handler to say "no more scent available" 5. The vehicles and the owners were identified and the investigation is far advanced.
25 June 2018- A farmer across the border called for help with Arson Fire on his farm. A series of fires where lit during the weekend and the last one on Sunday night. 1. Julia and Yster were dispatched on Monday morning and arrived at the scene at 10:35. 2. After assessing the scene a clear foot print was found and Julia was scented on that print. (The track in red attached was her track) 3. A nice identical print was also seen along the track confirming the trail. 4. She ended at a homestead where a lot of local dogs were present. It was thought that she could have been stopped by the dogs and Yster was then restarted on the same footprint. 5. Yster started the spoor at 12:30. He ran an almost identical trail to hers ( Yster's track in white attached) 6. Yster found 6 guys near the end of his trail and after sniffing them all nicely, he jumped on one of them. That is his normal ID. 7. He then turned away from the people and completed the trail to the same homestead Julia stopped at. 8. Fantastic work Julia and Yster! The SAP took over and will investigate these guys. For the purest again: We have done a lot of Covered trails and Person ID's the last 2 months. Our dogs do not follow other dogs for fun. They are obedient to the odor we scent them on. So Yster confirmed Julia's trail and did not follow her, the ID on the trail tells us that he was definitely still working on the target odor!
26 June- Yster was called out to a robbery of a delivery vehicle at a neighboring town. Yster was put on the trail at 16:35 showing great excitement even though the trail was at least 3 and a half hours old. The terrain was very steep and multiple sights were found where the suspect lost his footing. At 17:25 the police stopped the mission as it was getting dark and the suspect was armed. On the map it is very clear that Yster was trailing towards a settlement and the police regarded this a enough evidence to continue their investigations.
30June- Yster reacted to a copper theft at a substation near another village. He was started on the plastic stripped from the copper cables. Footprints were also identified at the scene and confirmed the trail along the way. He ran 1.65 km through very steep terrain where his handler had to crawl up after him. The trail was ended at a fence in the border with South Africa.
30 June- Yster reacted to the call out at of a theft the previous evening at a bar in a nearby viliage. Yster was started on a footprint at the entrance gate to the preserved scene. He confirmed the start by passing the class carefully removed from the window pane used to access the bar. Once again eye witnesses gave incorrect information as Yster went in the direction opposite to the one they indicated. The footprint was confirmed along the way. Yster crossed the river and ended the spoor on the main tar road, doing circles and giving his no more scent indication. The same footprint as found at the start, showed the person had stood around waiting for a taxi to pick him up. The police, upon questioning eye witnesses at the end of the trail, found the identity of the suspect to be a known criminal, just released from prison.
6 Aug 2018, A farmer from South Africa asked for the help of the K9 squad with arson fire spots on his farm. These fires where started on Saturday night and Sunday early morning. The squad first worked on a different farm with arson fire then moved to this farm. 1. The squad arrived on this farm at 13:20 where there were about 5 spot fires started. 2. The wind was pumping that weekend with 40 to 60km/h winds and all signs of human tracks were destroyed or covered up with the dust and ash. Also, no scent article used in starting the fire was found on the scene. 3. Yster was then used in a casting circle around the fire and gave a very clear head snap to indicate the trail leaving the area. He was then started at the scene and immediately ran to the trail where he gave the head snap. 4. He followed a trail of 1km and then gave a good ID at the gate of the house. 5. The farmer now knows who is involved in these arson attacks and can start with the processes to stop this from happening again. 6. Good work Boy! You are a super star in the making!!
14 August- At 09:44 we received a request for assistance at a break-in at a community members house. The perpetrator had broken a window and had taken a TV, radio, decoder, satellite dish and many other household items. The theft was believed to have happened at 03:00 that morning as the owner woke up and shouted at the suspects.
1. The team arrived at 11:56 and together with the police and some community members, found some of the stolen goods hidden in the bush some 300m from the home. A neighbor suspected they were also trying to break into his home. 2. Although there were many scent articles to start from, the scene was well preserved and all parties present, so the handler decided to start Yster at the broken window on the metal bar used to break the window. Yster did a nice head snap in the familiarization half-circle of the starting procedure. 3. Yster indicated at the fence were the perpetrators exited the compound. 4. He ran a trail of 400m to indicate a vehicle pick-up at the cross roads. A photo was taken of where tyre tracks made a u-turn. 5. Afterward some community members confirmed that they had seen a vehicle picking up some men at dawn. 6. The case is handed over to the local police.
15 August- We waited for some copper thieves to make an appearence at their stash of copper that must be transported to their market. Late that night they appeared in number and we managed to catch one. A few got away in the darkness and in the incredibly tough terrain. The criminal we caught gave us names and information so the hunt was on.. 1. K9 sqaud was deployed to the scene and they arrived at 10:00 the next morning. 2. After accessing the scene Yster was harnessed and started on the hat one of the perps lost on the scene. I asked them to bring me the head that fits in that hat! 3. Yster ran a good trail over tough terain. It is very mountanous in the forest is very thick. 4. After about 1,7km of heavy going and steep terain yster entered a small town with many small houses. The handler decided to stop Yster and rest for about 10minutes. 5. Yster was restarted on the spoor and withing 500m he stopped and indicated a specific house. 6. Only a young boy was present in the house and he gave his father's name. It was one of the names received from the perp that was caught. This confirms Yster took a great spoor. 7. Yster tried to find an outgoing spoor from the house but could not. We suspect the person was then picked up by a vehicle. 8. Great work Yster and K9 team. This confirms the perp is not lying and all the information will be followed up in earnest. 9. I can also report that this person was also arrested by the police in another location late last night!
27 August- 06:30 we received a request for assistance at a fire in our forest. It is suspected the arsonist was busy with some ritual as white clothing was found at the start. 1. Yster was put on the trail at 09:00. 2. Along the trail his handler noticed a change in his trailing behavior and suspected he missed a corner, they took him back along the trail where they saw good trailing behavior and restarted him. 3. As he was approaching a house inside our forest, a cow with a young calf attacked Yster, protecting her calf. His concentration was completely ruined! 4. Yster was then rested for 25 minutes. 5. Yster was restarted along a footpath behind the house with the cow and her calf. 6. He continued with the trail until he reached a compound in the forest where he made many circles, indicating the 5,3km trail ended here. 7. The workers had all already left for their day-shift, only the cooks were present. 8. The case will be handed over to our investigations team.
Honey project
In August 2018 we decided to do an experiment on a Honey project. Using detection training, our aim is to utilize dogs to detect natural bee hives in our forest. We have a severe problem of arson fires in our forest, started when people harvest the honey themselves, using smoke to dull the bees. We hope to use the dogs to clear areas in our forest of these hives, but also to relocate the nests into man made beehives we can then farm for honey. Malinois dogs Bas and Zorro is being trained for this project.
