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Authors: Rebecca Frankel
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inspires persistence and the kind of commitment that separates a good handler from a great one. It was essential in the end that she get right back to work, to push through her fears of working with Kelly. It made Gavin a better handler.
Kelly eventually went to a different kennel. Gavin completed her career as an Air Force handler in 2008. And though Gavin is no longer an MWD handler, she will never forget that bite. Even from a distance the twisted lines of the scar shine a pearly white on her wrist. She saw Kelly recently. The dog seemed calm and under control. But for a few seconds, the old devil in Kelly showed through. When the dog growled and snapped at hernew handler, adrenaline coursed through Gavin and her heart thundered as if it would never settle back down.
But as they say in K-9, itâs not a matter of if youâll get bitten, only when.
I can feel the soggy Virginia heat on my face, but itâs actually cool inside the enormous black bite suit Iâm wearing. This luxurious damp is, Iâm fully aware, lingering sweat from the bodies that had worn it during drills the day before, but I donât care. This suit is my big, bulky armor of protection.
The horses that had been grazing serenely just outside the fence the previous afternoon are now galloping in wide loops, stopping abruptly to shake out their manes and stamp the ground, their hooves setting off clouds of golden dust. Hurricane Irene is careening her way up the eastern coastline, and though itâs hours away from hitting the area around Langley Air Force Base, the horses have caught wind of the approaching storm. Their restlessness and unease is palpable and does little to quiet the loud thumping of my heart. Still, they are more calming than the ribbing calls coming from the crowd gathered inside the smaller training yard to watch me catch my first bite.
âCatching a Biteâ is exactly what it sounds like. It is essentially the act of becoming the animated human equivalent of a chew toy. And itâs a crucial part of a handlerâs role in preparing his dog for patrol work. Bite-work training is learned in stages. This is for everyoneâs safetyâthe dogâs, the handlerâs, and the decoyâs. (The decoyâa handlerâplays the role of âperpetratorâ so the dog can learn how to detain a fleeing suspect during patrol work.) If a decoy catches a dog incorrectlyâturns the wrong way or keeps his body too rigidâhe can really hurt the dog, or himself. The decoy will wear a bite sleeve or a full bite suit. Bite suits vary in size and bulk, but ultimately their weight is gradually reduced until the decoy is wearing something thin enough to hide under street clothes. This way the dog learns to associate the bite with a perpetrator, rather than with the suit.
The first suit I try on is huge. Two women handlersâthe only other women besides myself in this groupâdo me a kindness, whether out ofpity or female solidarity, and help me get into the gear. They hold out their arms so I have something to hang on to and work the zippers running down the side of the pant legs to squash them low to the ground, so that I can climb into them. Jakubin, who so far has been keeping a polite distance, looks relieved that Iâm managing without his interference. The jacket is easier to get on but not easy to wear. It is very heavy and very large. This is when Jakubin steps in, shaking his head, and hands me a tack suit jacket, which is just as big but not as bulky and thick. It doesnât fit exactly but itâs close enough. Under the weight of the jacket and the pants, I feel like Iâm walking neck-deep through a pool, pushing against a wall of water. In a few minutes, Iâm supposed to act the part of a fleeing suspect, and ârunâ away from a dog. I can hardly manage a respectable walk.
Handler Staff Sergeant Ted Carlson brings out the dog whoâs going to bite me, a
Kelly eventually went to a different kennel. Gavin completed her career as an Air Force handler in 2008. And though Gavin is no longer an MWD handler, she will never forget that bite. Even from a distance the twisted lines of the scar shine a pearly white on her wrist. She saw Kelly recently. The dog seemed calm and under control. But for a few seconds, the old devil in Kelly showed through. When the dog growled and snapped at hernew handler, adrenaline coursed through Gavin and her heart thundered as if it would never settle back down.
But as they say in K-9, itâs not a matter of if youâll get bitten, only when.
I can feel the soggy Virginia heat on my face, but itâs actually cool inside the enormous black bite suit Iâm wearing. This luxurious damp is, Iâm fully aware, lingering sweat from the bodies that had worn it during drills the day before, but I donât care. This suit is my big, bulky armor of protection.
The horses that had been grazing serenely just outside the fence the previous afternoon are now galloping in wide loops, stopping abruptly to shake out their manes and stamp the ground, their hooves setting off clouds of golden dust. Hurricane Irene is careening her way up the eastern coastline, and though itâs hours away from hitting the area around Langley Air Force Base, the horses have caught wind of the approaching storm. Their restlessness and unease is palpable and does little to quiet the loud thumping of my heart. Still, they are more calming than the ribbing calls coming from the crowd gathered inside the smaller training yard to watch me catch my first bite.
âCatching a Biteâ is exactly what it sounds like. It is essentially the act of becoming the animated human equivalent of a chew toy. And itâs a crucial part of a handlerâs role in preparing his dog for patrol work. Bite-work training is learned in stages. This is for everyoneâs safetyâthe dogâs, the handlerâs, and the decoyâs. (The decoyâa handlerâplays the role of âperpetratorâ so the dog can learn how to detain a fleeing suspect during patrol work.) If a decoy catches a dog incorrectlyâturns the wrong way or keeps his body too rigidâhe can really hurt the dog, or himself. The decoy will wear a bite sleeve or a full bite suit. Bite suits vary in size and bulk, but ultimately their weight is gradually reduced until the decoy is wearing something thin enough to hide under street clothes. This way the dog learns to associate the bite with a perpetrator, rather than with the suit.
The first suit I try on is huge. Two women handlersâthe only other women besides myself in this groupâdo me a kindness, whether out ofpity or female solidarity, and help me get into the gear. They hold out their arms so I have something to hang on to and work the zippers running down the side of the pant legs to squash them low to the ground, so that I can climb into them. Jakubin, who so far has been keeping a polite distance, looks relieved that Iâm managing without his interference. The jacket is easier to get on but not easy to wear. It is very heavy and very large. This is when Jakubin steps in, shaking his head, and hands me a tack suit jacket, which is just as big but not as bulky and thick. It doesnât fit exactly but itâs close enough. Under the weight of the jacket and the pants, I feel like Iâm walking neck-deep through a pool, pushing against a wall of water. In a few minutes, Iâm supposed to act the part of a fleeing suspect, and ârunâ away from a dog. I can hardly manage a respectable walk.
Handler Staff Sergeant Ted Carlson brings out the dog whoâs going to bite me, a
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