MWF Newsletter 2004 January

Voice of The Chair
By Lisa Kircher Lumbao

Congratulations to Renee Speltz, MWF speaker last September, whose efforts 
have been published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and What’s On Expat. The 
Inquirer article is reprinted below. Renee’s work is an inspiration to many of what 
a “trailing spouse” can accomplish if she puts her mind to it!

Canine Search and Rescue 
Gets Press Coverage

Inspired by the role played by dogs in arduous search and rescue operations 
during the September 2001 US terror attacks, an American woman is laying the 
groundwork for an Asia-Pacific canine network that can swing into action during
disasters.

Volunteer Renee Speltz, wife of a Manila-based banker from Texas, is leading 
efforts to set up 30 dog rescue units for immediate deployment in the Philippines 
and then expand them to cover the disaster-prone region.

“I was surprised when I first heard that there is no fully trained canine search and 
rescue squads in this region although it’s ravaged by deadly typhoons, floods, 
earthquakes and other natural disasters every year,” Speltz told AFP.

The nurse and counselor recalled how valuable the 260-odd dog teams were in 
search operations after hijacked passenger jets were used by terrorists to crash 
into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon in 
Washington, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing more than 3,000 people on Sept. 
11, 2001.

The dogs had worked round the clock in 12-hour shifts and, aside from tracking 
down survivors, recovered thousands of body parts which were used in DNA 
identification.

The United States receives many requests from Asian countries for canine squads
to help in relief work during earthquakes, floods, landslides, terrorist bombings or 
in other such disasters but it takes a long time to ferry them to the region.

“You only have a 100-hour window to find a victim in a rubble and it takes 
between 48 and 72 hours for a canine squad to be planed into the region from the 
United States.

“If you do the math, you’ll find it’s just unacceptable. So I pursued my little dream 
to have these canine squads right here so more lives can be saved,” said the 
50-year-old wife of Paul Speltz, the US executive director of the Asian 
Development Bank.

She helped set up the Philippine Canine Search and Rescue Association, Inc. 
(PhK9SAR), a nonprofit vehicle that will train and form the 30 dog units largely for
disaster relief operations on a free-of-charge basis.

“If there is an earthquake, for example, and people are trapped, we will offer our 
services. What we need is the logistics to get to the spot, which can be provided 
by the authorities or the private sector,” Speltz said.

The first batch of 10 units, expected to complete training in September next year, 
would be certified by the US-based National Association for Search and Rescue, 
which has experts to conduct courses and conferences and for standards and 
certifications. n

—AFP Reprinted from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 16, 2003

* * *

My goal in life is to be as good a person my dog already thinks I am. —Unknown 

Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog 
would go in. —Mark Twain 

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. —Roger Caras 

Why we love dogs: Dogs don’t cry. Dogs love it when your friends come over. 
Dogs don’t care if you use their shampoo. A dog’s parents never visit. Dogs 
aren’t catty.

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