Some dogs have beautiful coats, however it was causing some members of the RAAF to get a bit jealous, according to a report on the front page of The Canberra Times on this day 43 days ago.
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Guards at the Fairbairn RAAF Base opined that their conditions of service had gone to the dogs.
The dogs had "overcoats" to wear in sub-zero temperatures which prevailed during Canberra's winter nights.
The guards had no such issue. When the RAAF uniform was changed several years prior, no new overcoat was included to replace the old-issue greatcoats.
Those who had old-issue greatcoats continued to wear them, but new recruits did not receive them as part of their uniform.
Some had been able to buy them at disposal stores while others have had to resort to "non-issue" gear hoping that they were not detected by a senior officer.
Others tried plastic coats, "just to keep the wind and frost out". The dogs though, encountered no such problems.
Each had a blanket or "coat" which he could wear on cold nights.
"It's getting to the stage where one of the handlers is going to pinch his dog's coat just to keep warm and that is going to cause a whole lot of problems, especially if the dog wants it himself," an officer said.
