Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany -- Twenty-eight children, aged three through five, visited Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany on Friday. The children were from the Lee County Head Start program.
Dana Price, teacher, said the children were studying animals and fire safety during the week and their trip fit right in. At MCLB Albany, the children visited the kennels viewing a dog demonstration arranged and supervised by Capt. Mike Reynolds, kennel master, Marine Corps Police Department, Public Safety Division.
Other participants in the demonstration included Lt. John Reynolds and Lt. Lancey Fripp, trainers/handlers. John Reynolds took the German shepherd, Dax, through his paces which included basic obedience, the obstacle course and a faux attack on Fripp.
In a similar manner, John Reynolds also took Barrows, a Malinois, also called a Dutch Sheppard which is a variety of the Belgian Sheppard, through another routine, similar to the first, with more emphasis on obedience and play.
Mike Reynolds answered questions from the children like how often the dogs are fed and if the dogs were mean. He also explained some facts about the dogs, the way they are trained and the kinds of work the dogs do.
After the kids viewed the dog demonstration, they were let out at Boyette Park to play on the swings and other playground equipment.
Price said that they try to take the kids on at least three field trips a year. “We came out here one time,” she said, “several years ago and it was really nice. So, this year we decided to go back to the Marine base because the kids enjoyed it so much that year.”