Roger Guay as a rookie game warden in 1986. The Bailey Library in Winthrop will host a virtual talk with Guay at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Courtesy photo from Roger Guay

WINTHROP – The Bailey Library in Winthrop will virtually host retired game warden Roger Guay at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The event is part of a yearlong series celebrating Maine’s bicentennial that explores outdoor recreation in Maine. The public is invited to attend via Zoom by visiting baileylibrary.org/athome and navigating to the “Virtual Events” tab. Attending is free and open to all, but attendees will need a high-speed internet connection, and a device capable of running the Zoom software or app. For help attending, email director Richard Fortin at rfortin@baileylibrary.org.

Guay will speak about his book “A Good Man with a Dog,” the story of a game warden’s journey from the woods of Maine to the swamps of New Orleans. When Guay’s father died in a fishing accident, it was a game warden that helped him through the loss. Inspired by this experience, as well as his love of the outdoors, Guay became a game warden and certified K9 handler, beginning a career that would span twenty-five years and see him establish canine units as a staple of the game warden service.

“A Good Man with a Dog” explores Guay’s life as he and his canine partners are exposed to increasingly dangerous events, from tracking down hostile poachers to searching for victims of violent crimes, including a yearlong search for the hidden graves of two babies buried by a Massachusetts cult. Guay witnessed firsthand FEMA’s mismanagement of the post-Katrina cleanup efforts in New Orleans, an experience that left him scarred and disheartened. But he found hope, and eventually returned to the woods he knew and loved from the days of his youth.

Roger Guay served with the Maine Warden Service from 1986 until his retirement in 2010. He is a K9 master trainer, a certified K9 handler, and certified in cadaver and explosives searches. In addition to decades of search and rescue experience, he has extensive experience in missing persons and homicide searches. Guay has received numerous commendations from the warden service, the Maine House of Representatives, the Maine State Police, and U.S. Police Canine Association. Guay lives in Guilford.