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WEEKEND EDITION
Red Deer Advocate SATURDAY, DEC. 19, 2015
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Arsonists’ worst nightmare
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Accelerant K-9 handler Jeff Lunder of Delburne and his dog, Eza. The pair have recently been certified to detect accelerants and work together at fire scenes to determine if accelerants have been used to start fires. BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF Even though she’s a German shepherd, Eza is a rare breed. That’s because she can go through a scene after a fire to help determine whether there are any signs of substances — like gasoline — that could have helped spread flames. That could mean the fire was arson. Eza is half of a specially trained canine accelerant team — the other half is Jeff Lunder, her owner.
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There are only a few other teams in Western Canada — one each in Edmonton and Kelowna, and the Calgary fire department has two dogs used only within city limits. In 2011, Lunder, 58, retired as a fire-medic after 36 years with City of Red Deer Emergency Services. He has also trained dogs for 40 years through the Red Deer Kennel Club and judges obedience trials in Canada and the United States for almost 30 years. He found the idea of training an accelerant dog intriguing so he decided to try it. Lunder has always had German shepherds — his favourite — but when his shepherds were checked
out to possibly train, they were called “couch potatoes.” He needed a dog with a lot of drive. He ended up buying the purebred Eza from the RCMP training kennels in Innisfail when she was nine months old. He then hired a retired police officer, who had been involved with the RCMP dog training program, to help him train Eza. Eza (pronounced eeza) is now three years old and after a lot of hard work the pair are a certified accelerant canine team. The dog’s training continues every day.
Please see EZA on Page A2
Three suspects arrested in deadly holdups Charges are pending against two men and a boy, 13, after two convenience store employees were gunned down by thieves. Story on PAGE A2
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