Three years ago, Franklin Farao was still working at a retail store in Cradock, selling trainers and sportswear. Since then, his life has changed dramatically. In 2023, he completed his dog handler training with Genesis K9 Group and the rest is history. Today, he works as an environmental monitor at Mountain Zebra National Park, with his detection dog, Dash, faithfully by his side.
Background
As a child, he had to watch helplessly as his family’s beloved boerboel was poisoned. Right then and there, he promised himself he would dedicate his life to protecting dogs. “After that, we had six dogs. They all grew up in my bed… they knew it was their home,” he recalls.
His dream was reignited during his basic field ranger training, when he saw the head of the Kruger National Park’s K9 unit in action. “That confirmed for me that I wanted to go into dog handling.” It was around that time that Mountain Zebra National Park happened to be looking for a volunteer to attend a dog handling course. According to Franklin, the park already had one handler and a working dog, Zulu, but he is more of a tracking dog. “They wanted to add a detection dog.”
His time at Genesis K9 Group
After a major fundraising effort to cover his training, Franklin found himself in the capable hands of Genesis K9 Group in Pretoria. “They don’t just train you to be a handler, they train you for life,” he recalls.
He describes the 12-week training course as tough, but absolutely worth it. “It was hard, and you need a lot of resilience. You’ve got to have grit and be willing to work with any dog and any person.” What stood out for him was that the training of the working dogs never stops. “They continue training even after they’re deployed.”
Franklin says he learned something different from each instructor. The directors of Genesis K9 Group, Thys Kleyn and André le Roux, made a particularly strong impression on him. “You always think you’re a man, until you get to Genesis. Then Thys and André turn you into a real man,” he laughs. That, he says, is what one of his instructors at the time always used to tell him.
According to Franklin, the instructors bring out respect, discipline, dedication, and integrity in every student. “They won’t just qualify you for the sake of it. They make sure you’re capable of doing the job and that’s why they’re the best of the best.”
He remembers how strict the K9 instructors, Simon Rathokolo, Sydney Matlala and Eugene Mathila were with the students. “They’re some of the best people you’ll ever meet. No matter how strict they were, it was always for your own good.”
During his training, he worked with all kinds of dogs from different backgrounds and with different temperaments. “I had to learn how to assert myself with aggressive dogs, and also how to be patient with the more gentle ones.” It was around the kennels where the so-called fun really began. “You have to be able to clean any dog’s kennel. There’s no use giving excuses to the instructors about why you can’t clean a certain kennel, you just push through. Luckily, they’re always right outside to give advice when things get tough,” Franklin explains.
They were exposed to different real-life scenarios. Sometimes, they had to visit some of Genesis K9 Group’s clients to monitor the dogs’ performance. Other times, people from the community would bring their dogs for a public demo day, and the students had to be able to hold their own within that selection of dogs. One of the highlights for him was the well-anticipated training day known as the “Vasbytdag” which includes a koppie-barkout, water apprehension, and the famous night bite.
It was also through Genesis K9 Group that he was teamed up with Dash for his work in the park. “Dash was originally a police dog. He was trained to detect things like explosives, ammunition and wildlife products.”
Back in the park
Franklin’s whole outlook and attitude changed when he returned to Mountain Zebra National Park outside Cradock after his training. “I came back more qualified and confident. Suddenly, it was easier to hold my own among my colleagues and even to handle difficult tourists. Those are all skills I learned at Genesis.”
He says he and Dash have settled into a solid routine. “My fellow dog handler and I keep each other accountable. He also completed his handler training at Genesis. We approach our work as if our instructors could show up at any moment. How would they feel if they saw we weren’t keeping to the standards they taught us?”
Dash is doing excellent work in the park. He and Franklin are chiefly stationed at the main gate, where Dash searches vehicles entering and leaving the park. “Dash just never stops. It’s like he doesn’t get tired. He’s always so excited to work. You can see in his whole posture that he’s ready for the day’s tasks.”
Franklin says Dash really enjoys being around crowds. “He made quite a name for himself during a demo at Addo Elephant National Park. Thanks to that, we received a lot of donations to make his kennel as comfortable as possible. Now, no snakes can get in, and I’ll be installing his heater soon before the cold winter sets in.”
His dreams
Franklin finds purpose in being a guardian of “God’s garden.” “I want to help protect the Earth for future generations. Dash helps me do that.”
His big dream is to one day work with the new K9 Unit, which is part of the SEAM Team, at Table Mountain National Park. But for now, he continues his work with Dash, whom he describes as his best friend, and cherishes the time they have together.
