Paw patrol brings calm to units
In a unit known for guns, grit and high-tempo training, one of the most recognisable faces around the 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (1 Regt RAA) is a black labrador named Quinley.
CAPTION: Facility dog Quinley comforts soldiers from 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, at Gallipoli Barracks, Queensland. Captain Elisha Crowther. Photo by Gunner Jesse Linards.
Quinley is part of a 12-month Defence trial supporting chaplaincy and welfare engagement across the Joint Military Police Unit (JMPU) and 1 Regt RAA in Brisbane.
Quinley began life in the Guide Dogs Queensland program and is among the 40-50 per cent of dogs that are redirected into alternative work.
Now nearly three years old, and still owned by Guide Dogs Queensland, Quinley is housed by Flight Sergeant Darren Monopoli, of JMPU Brisbane.
Quinley quietly moves alongside 1 Regt RAA Chaplain Joanna Colgan as she goes about her day.
“The point of a facility dog is that people relax,” Chaplain Colgan said.
“They sit down, start patting him, and before long they’re talking without really thinking about it.
He takes the edge off straight away.”
That is where Quinley spends most of his time; not in formal offices, but in the in-between moments of unit life, welfare conversations, informal check-ins and quiet chats.
Chaplain Colgan said the change in environment was immediate.
CAPTION: Flight Sergeant Darren Monopoli, left, and Chaplain Joanna Colgan, right, with representatives from Guide Dogs Queensland and Quinley the labrador. Photo by Corporal Janet Pan.
“People open up more.
They talk more and if I walk through the unit without him, I’m asked straight away where he is.
They notice,” she said.
The trial is part of a broader partnership between Defence and Guide Dogs Queensland exploring alternative pathways for dogs that may not become guide dogs, but still have strong capabilities suited to other working roles.
For Guide Dogs Queensland dog supply and training manager Carolyn Rose, Quinley represents exactly what the program aims to achieve.
“We have to be honest when a dog isn’t right for guide dog work,” Ms Rose said. “But that does not mean the end of their working life.
“Quinley is a success story.
He is emotionally aware.
He reads people and he responds to the environment he is in.
While those traits may not suit guide dog work, they are exactly what is needed in a wellbeing role.”
She said the outcome was based on early training.
“The puppy-raising program exposes them to everything – people, places, noise and movement.
That is what makes them adaptable.
Labradors in particular are very people-focused and they tend to stay that way,” Ms Rose said.
Flight Sergeant Monopoli said Quinley adapted to Defence life quickly.
“From the start, he just fit,” he said.
“He has been really effective with our social worker and welfare teams.
You can see people settle quicker and conversations start easier.
He changes the tone of the room.”
CAPTION: Chaplain Joanna Colgan sits with facility dog Quinley at Gallipoli Barracks. Photo by Gunner Jesse Linards.
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