How did RONCO get into using dogs as their primary focus?
Crandall: RONCO got started with dogs in Afghanistan. During the Soviet invasion, to take equipment into the country would have meant the Soviet airplanes would have destroyed it. You needed a technology that would not draw a lot of notice to what you were doing. We knew that the U.S. Army had spent a great deal of time working with the Thai army, who was working with dogs in demining along the Cambodian border. We needed a low cost, efficient technology, and dogs were the answer. We contacted the Thai army and negotiated to pick up their handlers and dogs and flew back to Pakistan in what was then a covert operation. Lundberg: Dogs are just one important part of our tool kit. We are using flails and other equipment to clear vegetation. There is a perception around the world that RONCO is dogs. That is true, but it is only one element to our operation. Whenever possible, we also integrate manual deminers and machinery. There is a lot of debate regarding dog use vs. manual demining. Man
