2 minute read
Sniffing out success
If you think truffle hunting is just for pigs, you haven’t met Maddie, the six-year-old English springer spaniel from Red Hill Truffles with her nose for adventure.
Maddie started life in Dural, NSW, where breeder Marilyn McKenzie raised her. Best known for training dogs for police and customs services, Marilyn's career took an unexpected turn when Maddie became her first truffle dog. When Maddie was 10 months old and already partially trained, she went to live with Jenny McAuley and her team at Red Hill Truffles, who completed the training and allowed Maddie to officially start her truffle hunting career in 2018.
Unlike most truffle dogs that can only locate one type of truffle, Maddie can find three: tuber melanosporum, the black winter truffle; tuber borchii, the white truffle; and tuber aestivum, the summer truffle. This rare skill set makes Maddie quite literally a stand-out in the field.
After digging up truffles, Maddie eagerly awaits her treat.
Each day, Maddie partners with either Jenny or Fiona Hammond, another truffle hunter, to comb the orchards. With her harness on and nose to the ground, Maddie works her magic. On the command "Find truffle", she meticulously sniffs out the hidden delicacies. When she catches the scent, Maddie signals her discovery by pawing the ground and looking up at her handler, eagerly awaiting her favourite reward: small pieces of cooked chicken.
Throughout the winter and summer truffle seasons, Maddie also takes visitors on truffle hunts at least four times a week. Looking to the future, Red Hill Truffles is excited to welcome a new puppy later this year, also trained by Marilyn. With Maddie setting the standard, the future of truffle hunting at Red Hill is bright.
SARAH HALFPENNY
