Dogged questioning on absence from AGSI conference prompts Minister to turn tail

A relaxed Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, wearing an open- necked shirt, laughed and joked with the members of Civil Defence and the Peggy Mangan Foundation as he attended the “passing out” of a new search and rescue dog yesterday.

As the energetic “Max” had his head tickled by a beaming Mr Shatter, the head of the Dublin Civil Defence James McConnell remarked, “I saw that dog smile earlier” .

“Ah but you didn’t see me wag my tail,” joked Mr Shatter, who went on to explain that, in addition to Max, protocols for search and rescue had been reviewed to ensure a speedier response time.

The Minister was all smiles until he was asked about not attending the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) conference taking place in Killarney.

“I’m not answering questions on that today,” he said, before turning his back on the offending questioner and moving away.

Embrace
Unperturbed, Max continued to pose for the photographers, seemingly taking a shine to Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn – who had earlier picked Max up for an embrace – and his new Civil Defence handler, Mick O'Sullivan.

At a cost of €10,000, which included training to detect human remains, Max was funded by the Peggy Mangan Foundation.

The foundation was set up in memory of the late Alzheimer’s patient who went missing on September 24th last year after leaving her home in Terenure for a walk with her beloved dog Casper.

Following an extensive search, Ms Mangan’s body was located four days later with Casper still standing guard. Casper died shortly afterwards.

Yesterday, Ms Mangan’s daughters, Orla Lynch and Louise Hollywood, said the foundation was well on the way to raising €50,000, the annual running costs of a mobile outreach bus to bring information on Alzheimer’s to communities across the State.

Mr McConnell said the Civil Defence was delighted with its latest acquisition, who would be billeted at the home of handler Mick O’Sullivan in Baldoyle.

Detect remains
Mr McConnell said Max was trained to detect remains in water, as the Civil Defence already had dogs in counties Meath, Laois and Tipperary who could between them assist in the search and rescue of humans as well as detecting human remains through scent in the air.

“These dogs are a national resource. We can now bring them in on any search in the country,” added Mr McConnell.

The mobile Alzheimer’s outreach unit is to be staffed by the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

The unit will give the staff from the Alzheimer’s society, and volunteers associated with it, an opportunity to increase awareness about dementia and promote brain health.

It will be used at shopping centres, car parks, farmers’ markets and community halls.

The aim is to ensure that no one faces dementia alone and to provide a practical question and answer guide to seeking help and staying well as long as possible.