Little Rock's newest four-legged employee is a little unruly and still getting used to her work at Rebsamen Golf Course, but Facility Supervisor George Earls said she's still a breeze with which to work.
"She never asks for time off, she's never late, and she takes her raises in treats," said Earls, smiling at the joke that's sure to be shared again as employees at the city-owned golf course get acquainted with the newest addition.
Jill, a 2-year-old border collie who arrived July 3, is there for a purpose: to chase away the pestering geese that set up camp on the course's greens, in its six ponds and along the banks of the Arkansas River.
"She's a working dog; she was trained for this," said her primary handler, Assistant Facility Supervisor Eric Bowden. "You're really not supposed to socialize a working dog with the public, but we do let her meet people. If a golfer walks up and wants to pet her, we let him."
Keeping the energetic dog away from people may be a battle Bowden can't win. The cafe staff members are already in love with the long-haired dog, showing guests pictures of Jill on their phones and declaring, "She's beautiful. She's a lover. She loves some lovin'."
The city purchased Jill for $4,200, including airfare, from Kuykendall Working Border Collies in Franklinville, N.C. -- the same breeder that supplied Jill's predecessor, Fern.
Fern died in October, ending a 12-year reign at Rebsamen, where golfers knew her by name. Fern was purchased in 2001 as a solution to a Canada geese problem that presented itself when the golf course was remodeled in 1999. The geese -- attracted to the water features -- nested on the greens, devoured the expensive grass and left behind waste.
The city spent $20,000 replacing damaged greens before Fern was hired to scare the feathered fowl away. The geese problem has lessened significantly since then and was under control by the time Fern died last year.
The city purchased Jill to be proactive in keeping the birds away from the course, City Manager Bruce Moore has said.
While Jill came already trained, her handlers still have to work on her orders every day. Since geese aren't a huge problem at the course anymore and it's not the season for them to flock to the area, she has chased away the birds about five times since she arrived.
She's still getting used to her commands and new territory, so she's not the most obedient dog just yet. When people are nearby, she can hardly focus on work because she'd rather run up to give them hugs. She places both paws on a person's knee when they bend down to pet her, and she's content staying there a while for love.
"She gets a little distracted" when people are around, Bowden said, explaining why Jill ignored a command to return to his side after he had sent her running toward nonexistent geese. "She's trained to herd geese. If there's not any geese around, she's looking for something to herd."
That "something" Friday was the city's marketing manager Luis Gonzales, who Jill set her sights on after figuring out there were no birds to chase.
When geese are present, Jill's training consists of a few main commands. She's instructed to "Walk up," which has the dog approach the geese and corner them into a pond. Then when her handler, on the opposite shore, yells "Here," the dog sprints toward him, into the water and swims toward the geese, scaring them off.
They think she's a fox, which is their predator, Bowden said, and after getting scared away enough times, the geese will instinctively remember that Rebsamen Golf Course may not be a good place for them to land and lay eggs.
Of course, Jill doesn't actually attack the birds, and to her, work is all play. When she's not training or riding around in a golf cart, she lives in a 40-by-40-foot pen attached to the maintenance shed. In a few weeks, a doggy door will allow her to enter the shed as she pleases, and she'll be protected from extreme weather.
Bowden is eager for spring, when more geese will try to occupy the course, to see what Jill "can really do," he said.
The border collie has big shoes to fill replacing Fern, whose collar and dog tag still hang in Bowden's office. Outside his office door are framed copies of newspaper articles about Fern and the Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar cover that she was featured on in 2008 -- chosen out of 180 dogs nationwide.
As for Jill, the breeders said she was the most loving pup they had in stock, and her energy has yet to dwindle. As Bowden approached her kennel Friday, she jumped excitedly and immediately ran to the golf cart and hopped in, ready to start a day's work.
There's still one thing on her to-do list before she's an official employee, though. She's scheduled for a trip to the Human Resources office this week to get her ID badge made.
Metro on 08/17/2014