RNZAF: Gazz’s ‘pretty cool’ job working with dogs in the Air Force

Military working dog Cooper mid-stride as he flies across 150m of terrain looking to tackle his target. Shots are fired while Cooper charges in a replication of a situation in which the dog must take down an armed assailant. Cooper, now retired, worked as a patrol dog for the RNZAF and now lives with his former handler Sergeant Gazz Havill.

RNZAF dog handler Sergeant Gazz Havill loves the diversity of his work.

As a military working dog (MWD) co-ordinator for the Royal New Zealand Air Force Security Forces, Gazz has been working closely with dogs and their handlers for a number of years.

He says while there are admin requirements, such as keeping on top of logging training handlers do with the dogs, they’re always getting out and about with their canine partners.

“You’ve always got some company, and it’s just pretty cool to do a job that’s with an animal.”

When his assigned dog Cooper, who began working with him in 2016, retired in 2021, Gazz chose to adopt him.

As long as MWDs stay fit and healthy, they can continue working for around six or seven years, and on retirement are offered to the current handler, then other handlers within RNZAF, before a guardian is sought from the wider RNZAF community, Gazz says.

Potential owners of an adopted MWD would go through a screening process and spend some time with the dog to see if they suited each other.

MWDs are called on for a range of duties, depending on which branch of the military they serve in.

Gazz says the NZ Army has two different capabilities of MWD; the first being explosive-detector dogs (EDD), which are used to detect a range of explosives in conjunction with other army units, searching routes or roads in urban or rural environments, as well as buildings and compounds.

The NZ Army also has infantry support dog (ISD) capabilities; dogs which will be incorporated into infantry patrols to assist with locating and apprehending enemies.

Like other dogs in the Air Force, Cooper worked as a patrol dog (PD), which Gazz says are primarily to provide additional security enhancement effects to personnel and assets on defence areas and bases, such as aircraft.

Dogs in the RNZAF receive fairly intensive training across a wide range of skills and tasks to ensure they are capable of functioning as PDs. The handler of a PD goes through the three-month training course with a dog assigned to them so they bond and learn the role together, Gazz says.

A lot of the training also involves locating personnel via tracking or other means, as well as apprehension and bitework.

“It’s definitely not easy, but it is extremely rewarding.”

February 24 is Purple Poppy Day, which commemorates animals that have served during wartime.

Gazz says Purple Poppy Day is great because it reminds him of the work animals have done and continue to do, not just for the military but for all other organisations.

While the day was started to remember animals that served in the war, he says it’s more encompassing.

“It’s remembering not just dogs but all other animals that served in conflict, as well as thinking of animals that work across all agencies and operations on a day-to-day basis. A day to remember and think about the valuable work they continue to do.”