In 2020, Ludovic had the idea of offering Newfoundland owners the opportunity to train their dogs for sea rescue. This 57 year old Marseilles native wants to take advantage of his two passions, boating ( he is the owner of a 6 meters boat which remains in the port of Estaque ) and dogs, especially Newfoundlands.
That's how the idea for Oursons d'O came about. " The Newfoundland is a dog that has two remarkable characteristics in the aquatic environment. On the one hand, it has webbed paws on all four limbs, and on the other hand, it can swim with its four limbs "explains Ludovic. And these skills give the Newfoundland unique abilities During a training session, two dogs were enough to move a small boat of the SNSM, without too much difficulty ".
From there, therefore, to imagine that Newfoundlanders would remain excellent partners, safe on board, there is only one step, which the Marseilles native has taken. This is what Oursons d'O offers to its members. Accompany them, with their animals, in learning how to pull and rescue. The newfoundland is no longer just a pet, it acquires an active and useful part in the crew.
Towards a professionalization of animal training
Ludovic thinks about the future: " For the moment, the association aims at an amateur and passionate public of owners who would like to go a little further with their animal. Especially since a newfoundland needs to move, expend energy and express itself. Eventually, it is possible to offer training to professionals or to sea rescue structures. For the moment, we meet every Sunday morning to train our dogs. "
Moving from accessory to lifeguard status
In France, most beaches do not allow dogs. The same is true, therefore, for rescue dogs, whose status is non-existent. " In Italy, dogs are integrated in the sea rescue chain and it is not uncommon for a rescue swimmer on the beach to be accompanied by a Newfoundland. It will be, then, a rescue partner in the same way as another rescuer "explains the head of the association. It is also an objective of the association to obtain the recognition of the services of these canids in the rescue at sea. Surprisingly, the other rescue structures ( firemen, gendarmerie or civil protection ) have a long history of using and recognizing dogs in their workforce.
A membership to benefit from all the support services
The membership to the association that Ludovic presides costs 80 euros for the year, to take part in all activities, from advice to animal training. Insurance and operating costs are included in this fee.
The outings take place every Sunday in Châteauneuf-les-Martigues. On the program, towing drowned persons, survival or, again, accompanying multi-handicapped children. The animal becomes a life partner for the child who can go in and out of the water by being pulled by the Newfoundland from a tiralo. " It is an experience in total autonomy, in which the child usually supervised loses momentarily his specificity of being dependent on another human "explains Ludovic.
Need for materials to develop learning
In order to be able to train the animals better and more for these accompaniments and actions, the association needs equipment. The good news is that the necessary equipment does not have to be new or in excellent condition. First of all, the structure needs life rafts, life jackets and other floating devices, so that the animals get used to these equipments and use them.
For the moment, the Accastillage Diffusion store in Martigues has donated equipment. The need will quickly evolve towards a large dinghy, which will allow the animals to be accompanied further out to sea and to be trained to go back on board a boat, to intervene in a fall overboard or to pull other types of boats, situations that they may be confronted with one day at sea.
