TYTO was a truly unique dog – on a global scale. She had special powers, so special that today dogs in France, Spain and Australia are following the path that she forged.
And there’s a clue in her name to the special knowledge she had: Tyto is Greek for owl.
When Ciarán Walsh picked her out of a family of puppies six years ago, he had already chosen the name. His new dog – half Jack Russell, half spaniel – would be the world’s first tracker of barn owls.
Ciarán trained her from the off, hiding barn owl poo pellets and sending her off to sniff them out. Barn owls, like all birds of prey, spit up undigested animal bones and fur. Dúlra has come across many pellets over the years on the Belfast Hills, often under their favourite plucking posts where they devour their prey at their leisure.
JUST A PUP: Tyto's owl training started very early
Tyto would be given a treat – a morsel of food or her beloved tennis ball – for every find and before long she could sniff out the tiniest particle of a pellet or even one that was many years old. And so she became instrumental in the resurgence of that spectacular bird around Lough Neagh and now down to the very outskirts of West Belfast. With her help, Ciarán could discover where the owls were roosting in old houses or barns and put up nestboxes for them to breed in. “Most of the success we have had has been down to her,” Ciarán said this week.
Ciarán and Tyto were inseparable. She even became a TV star when her skills were put on show on Springwatch. Owl conservationists around the world wanted to know how she had been trained so they could model their dogs on her as they too needed to save this beautiful but endangered raptor.
Tyto was at the height of her powers, approaching middle age in dog years. She should have been carrying out this vital task for many years to come. But suddenly last month, she fell ill. She became picky at her food and had trouble going to the toilet. Ciarán brought her to the vet and she was given tablets for a tummy bug. But before long she was refusing to eat at all. Despite blood tests, the illness which attacked her organs remains a mystery.
She was treated in the vet for more than a week before Ciarán realised it was only prolonging her pain. “I went down and asked the vet to give her some painkillers and I would take her out for the morning,” he said. “She couldn’t walk. I carried her for three hours and we went to all her favourite spots where we used to look for owls. She couldn’t move, but she raised her eyebrow when I said ‘owl’ or ‘ball’. By the time I got back I knew it would be selfish to try to keep her alive.
“The vet agreed to put her asleep in the car with me. She always loved the car because to her it meant we were going out somewhere. I knew it would be more comfortable for her in the car.”
Anyone who has had a dog will know the bond that they form with you and losing one is heartbreaking. But there is warm consolation in the memories of shared adventures. For Ciarán, it was especially hard, because he had built up a special bond with Tyto through the hours and hours of specialised training when she was a pup.
“She was with me every day – I used to take her to work with me. She was with me pretty much every day for six years,” he said this week.
The unusual mix of Russell and spaniel made her ideal for work inside old buildings looking for signs of owls. She was small enough to climb into roofspaces and other recesses. “The Jack Russell has a great heart and spaniels have a great nose, so it was the perfect combination,” said Ciarán.
“But they get into your heart and then they tear it apart when they go.”
When Dúlra next sees a barn owl on the Belfast Hills – something which is much more likely because of Ciarán and Tyto's work – he’ll think of that wee dog and her incredible work, and in his mind he’ll give her a treat. Or maybe even that tennis ball she loved so much.
•If you’ve seen or photographed anything interesting, or have any nature questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804.
