Merna Oakley
He jumps buildings in a single bound and has a nose that puts yours to shame. Meet Barry, a Belgian Malinois (Mal-in-wah), who is not only Tucson’s Dog of the Year, but is a SaddleBrooke resident and the first canine volunteer for SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO). In addition to their handsome appearance Belgian Malinois are frequently described as: smart, confident, intelligent, athletic, trainable, quick learners, eager to please with an intense work ethic.
Barry is not just a handsome, award winning, fawn-colored dog with a black mask, he is also an Army veteran with approximately 150 missions under his belt. According to Tucson Lifestyle Magazine May 2016 edition, pages 40 and 41, the military has invested 19 billion dollars designing a program to defeat Improvised Explosive Devices or IEDs. But nothing the DOD has devised can top a Belgian Malinois. Barry was born in 2006, the product of a specialized breeding program based at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He earned the rank of Sargent First Class and was given a higher rank than his handler as a measure of respect that the military holds for their working dogs.
Barry was trained to be a Specialized Search Dog whose job is to hunt for explosives and munitions independent of his handler; however, when his life-long handler retired from the military, Barry was returned to Lackland Air Force Base. At age seven Barry was dog-tired from his service and subsequently was placed up for adoption. SaddleBrooke resident Cathy Hill was looking for a military dog so she applied to the program that allows civilians to acquire retired military dogs. Barry, who did not come with a set of instructions, at first tried to get into Cathy’s vehicle and drive it back to SaddleBrooke. But in spite of all his considerable talents, Cathy had to insist that Barry remain in the back seat for the duration of their trip.
Life after military service moves at a slower pace but Barry keeps busy. He goes almost everywhere with Cathy working as her service dog. Barry has a few quirks left over from his old military days. Cathy reports that when they go into a new place such as a motel room, Barry scouts the location including the outlets and drains to make sure there is nothing untoward lurking in the room. Barry’s specialized skills make him proficient at identifying errant golf balls hidden on the course. Over 1,000,000 golf balls have been found by volunteers, recycled and sold around the SaddleBrooke community to raise money for SBCO It’s all About the Kids! programs. Barry enjoys this challenge making him the perfect volunteer. Barry’s personal best was collecting 44 balls in one outing. But if you come across any used golf balls that Barry missed, please donate them to SBCO by dropping them off at the barbershop located in the commercial center. To learn more about SBCO’s programs, please visit our website, http://community-outreach.org.
Many thanks to Barry and Kathy for their service!