We first heard about the work of Reid the biosecurity dog five months back.

Conservationist and handler Rachel Cripps talks to presenter Kate Fairweather about Reid's work, visiting Scotland's islands during the course of the year, in all weathers, searching for evidence of rat incursions.

Rachel explains the plans for winter, when weather stops all island visits, and how she keeps Reid ticking over and his skills developing.

What is biosecurity?

Biosecurity is the practice of protecting places from the threats to wildlife posed by the introduction of new diseases or types of plants or animals that do not naturally occur there.

The work of Biosecurity for Scotland focuses on protecting 38 seabird islands around Scotland from invasive non-native mammalian predators, such as rats, mice, mink and stoat. These Scottish islands are remote, home to many globally important colonies of seabirds. Native seabirds, which have not evolved alongside predators and are vulnerable to invasive predators, which eat the eggs, chicks and sometimes adult birds.

Thanks to Sophie at RSPB for introducing Reid and Rachel to the show.

NTS and NatureScot.Biosecurity for Scotland is a partnership of RSPB Scotland, National Trust for Scotland and NatureScot. This project is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.

Other dogs working in conservation

• Reid the bio security dog - the original interview from May 2024;
• Skye, the stoat detection dog working to keep Orkney free from predators;
• A team of five detection dogs survey the Isle of May for ground nesting storm petrels;
• Barley the conservation dog and his international projects;
• Nica, Nettle and Phoenix, the Japanese knotweed detection dogs.

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk with suggestions or introductions to working dogs to feature on the show - she's always interested to hear about dogs with interesting jobs.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With long waiting lists for autism assistance dogs and medical alert dogs, and little prospect of getting one, teenager Ella Walker decided to train her own.

Meet Ralph, a multi-tasking medical alert and assistance dog, who’s just perfect for Ella.

They've been together since golden retriever Ralph was less than a year old. Since then, Ella has focused on training him for a range of specialist tasks and functions, with the help and support form her family and others.

Ella explains why she always has her eye on the next milestone for Ralph.

• Assistance Dogs UK is an umbrella organisation for many assistance dogs charities

Connected Episodes:

More detail and photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs.

Other support dogs and assistance dogs:

• Darcey the Canine Partner support dog and her owner, a relationship in full bloom
• Benjy the trainee guide dog and his first five weeks on the job;
• Daisy, an autism assistance dog who works with a non-verbal autistic teenager;
• Cashel, the autism assistance dog who works with an actor;
• E.T., the military assistance dog who works with a veteran;
• Medical alert detection dogs and their lives before they start work;
• Breck, the guide dog and what a mature guiding partnership looks like.

Find more dogs with interesting jobs.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather, 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dogs pretty much outnumbered people at the Country Sports Day at Bereleigh, East Meon, both inside and outside the arena.

A particular delight was the arena demonstration from seasoned gun dog trainer, Graham Watkins, whose five spaniels, including a talented two year old and a 12 year grande dame, showed the range of jobs these dogs do on shoots during the season.

Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather, caught up with veteran trainer Graham Watkins, who has five decades of experience training gun dogs. Semi retired now, he trains just a couple of dogs at a time - this is the voice of experience. Drawing on the spaniels in the arena on this particular day, he talks talent, training, breeding and career progression for his spaniels.

Recorded at the Hampshire Country Sports Day, 2024.

Sporting dog episodes:

• Echo, Delta and Polar, the gun dog trio (September 2024)
• Oberon the working Clumber spaniel (September 2023)
• Alfie, the waterfowling retreiver (October 2023)
• Who's winning at the South of England Hound Show? (August 2023)
• The Sealyham terrier Rat Pack (July 2023)
• Meet the Beagles! (October 2022)
• Debit and Dervish, the hunting hound pups (November 2021)
• An insight into the breeding of hounds (November 2021)

Dogs with Jobs features the full range of working dogs, therapy dogs, military and service dogs, assistance dogs, bio detection dogs and other, random occupations such as truffle hunting, modelling and more. Browse more dogs with interesting jobs.

Do you work your dog or dog?

Get in touch with Kate Fairweather if you're interested in coming on the show on team@shineradio.uk. Kate is always at the Countryside Alliance country sports show and the Alresford Agricultural Show, both in September in Hampshire.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.