At Tess’ Job, Every Day’s a Dog Day
This honorary AFSCME member works hard so Olde Barnstable's golfers can play.
CAPE COD, MASS.
AFSCME Council 93 has managed to score many firsts in its 21 years of existence. And bringing a canine into the ranks is perhaps the most notable.
Meet Tess, the cuddly, five-month-old black and white Border Collie sporting one blue eye and one brown eye. The irresistible pooch is an honorary member of Local 2977 (Council 93). She was hired last November as the official “geese chaser” at the Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds here in this coastal New England vacation spot.
In a memorandum of agreement negotiated (with Tess at the table) by Tess’ owner Local 2977 President Chris White and Council 93 Service Representative Jim Kane, Tess earns $78.08 per month, and is insured under a fully-paid pet health maintenance organization plan. Her pact also includes job security; Tess can only be discharged for “just cause.”
In addition, the playful pup is allowed to exercise rigorously on work time whenever the urge or need arises. Every night she goes home dog-tired. But right on cue the next day, Tess dons her doggie gear — collar and tags — to report to work alongside her owner.
White is a foreman at the fairground’s golf course. He and three other co-workers, out of a nine-member crew, are responsible for maintenance work such as grass mowing, snow plowing and irrigation.
White says the geese on Cape Cod have become a real problem in the last few years, especially on the golf courses. Besides the obvious problem of trying to keep the 80 acres sanitary, the risk of injury to both golfer and bird increases as the bird population rises. Instead of pursuing less humane options in dealing with the problem, the town decided to hire a dog to scare the geese away.
Tess may be only a puppy, but the well-behaved collie has already proven her worth. Even though she has not been officially trained, her natural instincts for chasing the geese away at her trainer’s commands have already put her solidly on the job.
When White asks, “Do you want to go out?” Tess excitedly wags her tail and bounds to the ground from their pickup truck to get busy. “She certainly has become an integral part of the crew,” he says.
Although Tess has already started working, she will attend a rigorous training program this spring on a farm in West Barnstable. She will first learn to corral sheep and from there she will work her way up to the ducks. “The training will show her not to harm the geese, only to scare them away. She will also be taught to stay out of the water where the geese may seek refuge, because that’s where she will lose her advantage.” He says Tess will probably only need about a month’s worth of training.
White points out that Border Collies are smart dogs, and because Tess is a “quick study,” she has already proven that she was the right candidate for the job. “The newest member of our crew is certainly enjoying herself,” says White. “But like all working stiffs, Tess is sure to have some ‘ruff’ days every now and then.”
