General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Hard synthetic outer shell with soft synthetic pads and foam sound insulation. Straps are a synthetic fibre with synthetic and metal buckles.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

19.5 cm

Width

13.8 cm

Height

11.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Fire Fighting

Category

Clothing & personal safety apparatus

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

SAFE

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Used ca. 2013-2016

Canada

All of the gear in this loadout has been used by Baillie in training and in the field as part of Baillie and Kit’s SAR operations in Canmore, Alberta (2013-2016). As of the last time Kit and I spoke, Baillie had been deployed with this gear in the field a total of three times: during the Southern Alberta floods (June-July 2013), after a massive gas explosion in Cougar Creek in Canmore (June-July 2015), and during a search for a missing woman in Canmore (August 2015). Notably, Baillie cut the pad of her paw on debris during the second deployment, leading Kit to incorporate K9 booties into her regular loadout to prevent future injuries of this nature. (Taken from Acquisition Proposal, context is for the whole kit, see Ref. 1)

Function

To dampen loud noises in order to protect the hearing of the dog wearing the device. Used by a rescue dog during search and rescue operations.

Technical

This K9 loadout features a number of significant Canadian technical innovations. Baillie’s custom-fitted SAR K9 Vest, for example, is manufactured by K9 Storm Inc. of Winnipeg, Manitoba. According to Kit, K9 Storm represents the bleeding edge of K9 work equipment, and the company fills contracts for K9 military and SAR operations all over the world. All K9 Storm equipment is designed, built, and quality-controlled in Canada. Another example is Baillie’s body-mounted camera equipment. Still in the proof of concept phase, this equipment was custom-made by Kit himself to afford greater communication with Baillie while in the field. (The camera permits Kit to see what Baillie sees, and adapt his verbal instructions - delivered through a body-worn audio system - in real-time). The camera was sourced from a disassembled mass-market drone camera rig, and then fitted to Baillie’s vest using custom-built components. Kit has also developed other custom handling equipment, including a “quick-release” deployment device that was facilitated by attaching a “Petzl Frog” mounting-climbing clip to Baillie’s leash. It is still to be determined whether the rest of the equipment in this loadout is Canadian-made, but several of the other items (notably the “Muff Mutts” Ear Defenders and “Ruff Wear” K9 Booties) represent interesting technical innovations in canine wearable technology, and have strong Canadian provenance as a result of Baillie’s use of the technology in Alberta. (Taken from Acquisition Proposal, context is for the whole kit, see Ref. 1)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Clear stickers with black markings on both ear cups: "K9: Baillie"/ "CAN-TF2"

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Two triangular cups with a red outer casing, black padding around the outside, and a blue foam on the inside. They are connected by black hook and loop straps with a silver-coloured metal buckle.

Decoration

N/A