Letter from the Editor
We’ve all been the “new guy” a few times in our lives. All of us were the newest members on the team when we joined and we had to learn a new set of skills with a new group of people. Every now and then, we get to be the new person again whether that’s being the junior member of a gathering or joining a new team altogether.
Those experiences can be intimidating at first but represent a major opportunity for growth and development. It goes without saying that it’s also one of the most important times to make an impression on our teammates as someone who is willing to learn and operate with the group. We have to understand these concepts as we work into our new groups and ensure that our first day sets us up for future success.
I recently got to be the “new guy” again after moving across the country and testing the water with a new K9 team (no mountains for mountain rescue in my new home). I brought both my certified K9 and my puppy who was ready to begin his training. The first thing I did was learn as much about the group as possible. I read up on their social media and websites about what they did, how they operated and what they used. I then spoke with the team’s vice president about their relationships with other teams, state, local and federal agencies as well as their training regimens. The group presented a wealth of K9 knowledge and great personalities.
After learning about them and shadowing some of their teams on exercises, I took my certified K9 out to demonstrate her skills and kept in mind one of the most valuable pieces of advice from my old team: shut up and let your dog work. She did a wonderful job. I then introduced them to my pup who explored tracking and human remains detection exercises. At the end of the day I knew this was a team I would want to stick around with. The people were great. The dogs were pretty darn great.
The new guy experience for me was a good one because I knew what I needed to do for it to be productive. I listened, asked questions, learned and when I got the chance I demonstrated what I knew. I’m now training on a totally new K9 discipline: tracking. I’ve never trained a tracking dog, but I’m surrounded by experienced tracking handlers and my younger pup has gotten a grip on the tracking game. It’s exciting to watch him learn and grow just a few feet away from me on a long line in all kinds of conditions (at the time of writing we’re getting a good dose of snow in Minnesota) with great instructors. And I’ve been shutting up and letting him work.
So for those of us who are on the “new guy path,” I bid you good luck and good times.
Cheers,
Rick Lindfors Meridian Editor in Chief Northstar Search and Rescue
