Fri 11 May 18.
The newest and most popular member of Council's animal services team is a two year old Labrador Border Collie cross called Max.
Compliance Officer and trainer Brian Berquist said that Max had been surrendered to Council after being picked-up for roaming.
Council was confronted with the issue of finding Max a suitable home, said Mr Berquist.
Unfortunately he had a few behavourial issues when he first came to Council and suffered from separation anxiety and would cry and escape when alone which made the possibility of rehoming him all that more difficult.
Despite these issues with his lovely temperament we saw something in him and decided to put him on the payroll, he said.
With an investment of time and love Max is now a happy and relaxed dog and an invaluable member of the animal services team.
Max is a great example of the saying that when hiring someone attitude trumps experience.
He just loves going to work where his primary role is to assist us with stock control where he has already proved his worth many times over.
We have had a number of situations with stock on the loose where Max has made all the difference in being able to round them up and contain them quickly until we could make the situation safe.
When you have stock on a busy road or larger animals that can be dangerous having Max on the team makes getting the job done quicker and safer for everyone.
And for payment in dog food, pats and hugs he is an absolute bargain.
Mr Berquist added that Max will also be used for dog safety educational purposes at local schools.
At Council he is probably the most popular member of staff where he helps put a smile on people's faces, he said.
At just over two years old he is a big puppy in many ways and still undergoing training.
Ultimately the plan is for Max to go home with on-call Compliance Officer to provide assistance whenever there is a call out.
From a personal perspective having Max with you when you need to jump out of bed in the middle of the night to respond to an emergency call-out at the other end of the District is really uplifting.
It actually makes late night call-outs a whole lot easier as he's always keen to go.
Mr Berquist said that when Max wasn't living at his place he had a VID (Very Important Dog) pen set up for him at the pound.
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