One guest at the August 3 Rotary Club of Norfolk spoke out of turn and couldn't wait to race around the meeting room. Bueno, a two-year-old German Shepherd search and rescue dog, is excused from barking during his trainer's talk since this was his first public appearance and he was eager to hunt a bone hidden under one of the dining tables.
Bueno's trainer, Brandy Eggeman, owns Citizen K9 Dog Training & Agility LLC in Virginia Beach and is the author of dog training books. She and her dogs have volunteered for 22 years to help in search and rescue efforts after natural and man-made disasters, such as tornadoes and plane crashes, and also at crime scenes. They volunteer with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as well as law enforcement and other agencies.
Brandy and her dogs have helped solve homicides, located missing people, been part of court cases, found hidden graves, and even discovered a body buried for 250 years. They have worked in the Great Dismal Swamp, at house fires and at area landfills.
Dogs' keen sense of smell makes them excellent detectives. While humans may walk into a kitchen and smell chicken soup cooking on the stove, a dog will recognize each individual ingredient from chicken to pepper as well as the cleaners used in the kitchen.
Brandy trains her dogs to recognize specific scents, including those from donated human teeth and body tissue. Trained canines do their work on the land as well as on water while riding in boats. Dogs typically train every week for two years to get their initial search and rescue certification and then continue learning. For dogs, hunting specific things is a game and not a chore.
At the end of the meeting, Brandy and her human helpers, Carly and John, turned Bueno loose to demonstrate his skills. He ignored leftover food on tables and circled the room until he found a bone hidden under a table and brought it back to his trainer. The club is donating a book to the Rotary library at the Hunton Y in honor of Brandy and Bueno.
Meeting Highlights:
After the opening rituals, Brian McGuire updated members on Rotarians we have not seen in a while. Pam Tubbs and John McLemore are being Covid-19 cautious and avoiding group gatherings. Shep Miller is spending most of his time on his farm. George Nottingham is busy with a daughter's upcoming wedding. After recovering from Covid-19, Jim O'Brien is spending most of his time in rural Virginia. Bill Gough is undergoing chemotherapy. All send their greetings to the club.
Barbara Lipskis added the need for prayers for Colin and Patt McKinnon's daughter, Kris, who is in a rehabilitation center after being hit by a drunk driver a few months ago.
President Michael announced upcoming volunteer opportunities at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and a Ward's Corner neighborhood cleanup as well as a Tides game to raise money for PolioPlus. Details are on the club website.
We celebrated these Rotarians with August birthdays: David Brandt, Chip Finch, Roger Flagg, Adam Foleck, Jim Kitz, Tim Lawrence, Jim O'Brien, Wayne Shank, Chuck Spence and Sigur Whitaker. Celebrating August wedding anniversaries are Lisa and Web Chandler (41 years) and Kay Kemper and Denny Parker (13 years).
August Rotary membership anniversaries are Bill McInnis (32 years), Marty Raiss (31 years), Bill Davis (26 years), Ben Mason (25 years), Julie Keesling (21 years), Sigur Whitaker (22 years), Susan Donn (19 years). Gary Boswick (10 years), David Brandt (10 years), John Cameron (3 years), and Michael Desplaines (7 years).
Happy bucks raised money for Norfolk Rotary Charities and let us know that:
- Stephen Kirkland and his wife, Sarah Jane, were featured in an article about how they met while working on a cruise ship.
- Bill Clendenin was in an article about a new garden at PrimePlus Norfolk Senior Center.
- Sally Hartman's son, Luke, has decided the 757 is a great place to work and is moving from Utah to work remotely. She appreciates Lisa Chandler and her company Rose & Womble Chandler Realty for helping her son find a place to live in a tough rental market.
- Wayne Shank and his wife, Ann, survived caring for three young grandchildren for four days.
- Eleanor Schoonover read an article on Mars that made her think of retired professor Bob Ash and her hope that he presents a talk on his work with Mars exploration.
- Chick Robison is happy to be back meeting in person at Scope.
- Several Rotarians were not wearing pins.
After a long hiatus due to not being able to meet at Scope and access supplies, the weekly raffle is back with Bill McInnis in charge. John Cameron, who happened to be Rotarian of the Day, won the daily pot of $16.