Bear

Bear is Coolie, an Australian breed of dog that is the result of breeding a short-coated blue merle collie and a Scottish black and tan collie, both brought into the country by settlers in the 19^th century. Technically, the black and tan collie is not a recognised breed but was what passed as a herding dog in the highlands of Scotland years ago. A Coolie is not that well known outside Australia; however, Bear is probably the most famous Coolie in the history of the breed. With the advent of modern technology, his exploits will never be equalled, but even drones will never be able to replicate the extraordinary successes of Bear.

To give you an insight into how his life started, he was originally found for sale in a pet shop and was adopted by an enthusiastic young couple who fell in love with his startling blue eyes and his tri-colour coat.  Unfortunately, dogs like Bear are designed for work, so boredom set in, and to demonstrate his displeasure at his mundane, boring lifestyle, Bear started to dismantle the furnishings of the family home. A new home was rapidly required, and while several folks attempted to settle the adorable canine into their homes, his delinquent behaviour made it impossible for him to settle into ordinary family life.  Fortunately, Bear came to the attention of Detection Dogs for Conservation at the University of the Sunshine Coast, who were looking for a suitable dog to recognise the scent of Koala fur to be able to find injured and sick Koalas

Finding his purpose

Before this, dogs were trained to find Koala droppings called scats, but Bear was the first dog to identify the actual Koala by its scent. Training Bear was no easy task; his behaviour was disruptive, and it took the best part of two years to reach the standard required. Despite the obstacles he presented, his trainer realised his incredible potential. The persistent trainer was Riana Gardiner, with whom Bear now enjoys his retirement.

As someone who has spent his life training dogs for a number of roles, I am so aware of the frustrations of working with highly intelligent dogs and creating that level of motivation. No matter how good the trainer is, it’s the dog that sets the pace. Go too slowly, the dog loses interest; go too fast, and the dog becomes rebellious. It can be so frustrating, but when the complete package comes together, and the finished, highly motivated canine is ready to undertake the tasks required of it, the feeling of satisfaction is beyond comparison.

Bear’s finest hour

By 2017, Bear was assisting numerous organisations to find injured or sick Koalas, but his finest hour came with the bushfires of 1019-2020. Bear spent three months in New South Wales and Victoria searching for and finding over 100 injured Koalas, mostly in places that had been searched, but the koalas had been missed. Wearing a very posh set of booties to protect his feet from the burning ground, Bear was finding, on average, two to three a day, and suddenly became an overnight celebrity, with movie stars posting their approval of the endeavours of Bear. Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio were among the famous people who voiced their admiration for his tireless work, with Tom suggesting a movie showcasing his work would be a great idea.

Following his exploits with the bushfires, Bear was very much in demand, and he was then taken to North Queensland and Canberra; he then returned to New South Wales and the Sunshine Coast.

With the strict laws that exist in Australia regarding the working life of a working animal, Bear has had to be retired after 10 years and with retirement came the presents donated by his fans, predominantly toys and dental sticks. It occurred this year, and now Bear is enjoying his retirement. His days are now occupied with playing and sleeping, a just reward for a dog that has spent his life saving the lives of hundreds of Australia’s most iconic marsupials.

It is slightly ironic that despite all the protection offered to working animals, which I totally agree with, our present inability to communicate with our canine companions makes it impossible to inform the dog that retirement is mandatory, so even when Bear is now going for a walk, his instincts stay the same. He is still searching, and you just know that as long as he lives and is capable of going for walks, there is no doubt that Bear will continue to look for Koalas.