BIRDSTRIKE CONTROL PROGRAM

It's no mystery how dangerous and costly bird strikes and wildlife encounters are to both commercial and military air traffic. The numbers are alarming - approximately 4,500 bird strikes are reported yearly by commercial and military aircraft, causing about $250 million in damages. The importance of effective and safe control of wildlife near commercial and military flight facilities is rapidly becoming one of the most important issues facing airport managers. Though this has been a long-standing problem for military and commercial airfields, there is a new method of bird control available. This method, the use of Border Collies to harass birds and wildlife, is rapidly catching on at golf courses and large business facilities across the country. Border Collie Rescue can serve as a resource for airports in instituting control programs employing Border Collies to reduce bird hazards.

Border Collie Rescue is a national humane organization that assists in the rescue and placement of Border Collies in the United States and throughout the world. BCR is a fully registered federal 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of responsible Border Collie ownership and public educational endeavors. By working with Birdstrike Control Program, your airport would be supporting a good cause, which will obviously reflect well on its public image. A program of this type will give these dogs a second chance and a job to perform, something they inherently need. Often our most difficult dogs are the ones best suited for this type of work.

With several hundreds dogs passing through our program each year, we avoid one of the biggest problems associated with this method of control - a limited supply of dogs. National in scope, we receive Border Collies from all parts of the country, resulting in a large and ready supply of dogs, allowing us to select only those that are well suited for this type of work. The fact that we are located in Texas allows us to train year-round, making dogs available for placement at all times.

Here are some of the features of our rescue/bird control program that we offer:

• Full-time trainers, ensuring a quality trained dog and year-round training
• Trained dogs for specialized airfields or other situations. Specialized commands and/or techniques can be included in a dog's complete training program upon request.
• On-site initial training for all handlers (to overseas locations as well)
• Year-round telephone consultation service should any questions or problems arise. There is also on-site evaluation and assistance upon request.
• All dogs are trained at active military or commercial airfields so they are well-accustomed to working in a busy airport environment.

We offer primary care training and housing facilities and expertise for screening and training the dogs for this task. BCP's executive director is a professional animal behavior expert and can assure participants that all dogs entering the control program will be well trained and superbly qualified for the task at hand.

All of our dogs are spayed or neutered, microchipped, current on all of their vaccinations (including rabies, DHLPP, and kennel cough), free from fleas and ticks, and in peak physical health and condition. Supporting our rescue program in this endeavor will not only supply an airport complex with a fully trained working dog but will also help in the rescue and placement of hundreds of other Border Collies in need of homes. I would urge you to take a look at the materials outlining the advantages of using Border Collies in a bird hazard reduction program over other conventional methods, as well as visiting our main rescue Web site that showcases our rescue efforts throughout the world.

Birdstrike Control Program