Colorado Rescue dogs are the epitome of good boys and girls. Meet the fluffy heroes and hope you’ll never have to meet them while they’re working!
Many Coloradans and visitors owe their lives to the men and women of the Colorado mountain rescue team. But there are a couple members that deserve a little love -- Colorado Rescue Dogs. All of this great information was provided by Search and Rescue Dogs of Colorado!FINN
Finn is a 2 ½ year old English Shepherd who is a very good boy working with Park County Search and Rescue. He is training in Air scent Certification and is so close to completing his training! He is a very serious worker and is ready to rescue day or night. Off duty he is a goofball and loves to give “flat tires” to people walking by him. Finn also enjoys horses, working with tractors and playing with any child he sees.
FINYA
Finya is a lively pup who is certified in Air Scent. Her handler, Ina Bernard, admits had her hands full training this lively girl, describing her as a “cute-little-have-my-own-agenda-jump-off-the-wall-with-energy-bundle-of-fur.” Finya is a very good girl who is fun to train, takes her job very seriously, and of course, is extremely smart.
KIBO
Certified in trailing, Kibo is a Belgian Malinois whose job it is to find lost hikers. Trailing and fielding are her specialties, as well as digging and trying to plot escapes in her off time. She’s the black sheep of her law-enforcement family, and enjoys playing with the ‘lost’ subjects used for her training. Kubo is determined and focused when she’s on a mission. Her eyes light up at the faintest sound of a squeaky toy and she loves a never ending game of fetch. Overall, a very good girl.
QUEST
Quest is a sweet blue Australian Cattle Dog. True to her breed she’s extremely intelligent, willing and quick to learn, very high energy, and ferociously determined to complete the tasks given her. She is extremely devoted to her handler, Nancy May, who started her training as a search dog at 9 weeks old. Though there were some bumps in the road, including food allergies, toe nail injuries, and another injury that resulted in her losing an eye, she was certified in 2013, and certified in trailing in May of 2014. Obviously she is a very good girl, who is extremely playful and loves a good cuddle.
MAUI
This extremely good girl is 5 ½ years old and is certified in Air Scent, water and HRD. She showed interest in water work from a very early age. Her handler, Marcia McMahon, states they can’t drive past a lake without her jumping up and pointing out that it’s there. Maui is a recent mother of four puppies, three of whom are in training to carry on the family line of work. She loves wind-up toys that make animal sounds and seems anxious and a little crazy when she isn’t working.
MILLIE
Millie is an expert sniffer, seeing as she’s a beautiful bloodhound. Certified in Trailing, this very very good girl spent the first 2 ½ years of her life in a small back yard in Texas. This poor girl had never been on a walk, had 0 rules or manners instilled in her and was 40 pounds overweight. She was placed on a bloodhound rescue website where handler Peg Woodis chose to give her a good home and put her to work. While her floppy ears and wrinkled face make it hard to take her seriously, she’s a diligent worker who has her nose glued to the ground. Her handler claims it’s a thrill to watch her hard at work, pounds shed, happy to have a purpose!
MONTY
Monty is a beautiful Golden Retriever who is not only a super good boy, but certified in Air Scent rescue. He is a member of SARDOC and Park County Search and Rescue. Monty loves meeting new friends, and running through hot trails that lead him to his next new friend.
SHAKTI
Don’t laugh at her goofy face because this is a very good girl. Shakti is an 8 year old Belgian Malinois certified in Wilderness Air Scent and Avalanche rescue. Shakti loves the excitement of searching for people she doesn’t know while exploring new places. She is a hard worker who loves solving mysteries. She enjoys riding in snowmobiles, chairlifts and helicopters; the noise doesn’t scare her one bit. This girl is smart, opinionated, outspoken and very sweet. She is able to “make friends’ on command by touching her nose to stranger’s hands.
STELLA
This highly trained, high energy pup is certified in Air Scent. This good girl chooses supersonic speeds over safe paces in her everyday life. Day or night, she is ready to get to work. She prefers hiking through wintery terrain over mid-summer heat and honestly I don’t blame her. She’s a daredevil who searches for vertical cliffs to scramble on over easier marked trails. When she’s not working she loves long hikes and going over jumps in her own sled.
TRIPP
One could only wish this sweet face rescues them if they are lost. Tripp is a good boy who brings tons of enthusiasm and energy to his job. Tripp is certified in Air Scent, and has never met another dog or human that he didn’t immediately love. His handler, Dan Fanning, states “there is no better teach of how to find joy in life than a dog like Tripp.”
YINNIE
Yinnie is one of Maui’s sons and, of course, is a very good boy. He is a very serious worker and has already contributed to the SAR program tremendously. He loves swimming, playing ball, high dives and most importantly WORKING! It isn’t until he feels he has done a good job that he thoroughly enjoys his deep beauty sleep.
ZUKU
Kuku is a gorgeous black lab mix. This very good boy’s story begins as his pregnant mother (eight pups) was found wandering the streets of McKinney Texas and was brought to a rescue in Denver. Zuku was adopted at three months old, and his outgoing personality and love for searching led him to gain his certification in Air Scent. When he isn’t working he loves backpacking with his handler in the mountains, playing fetch and lounging in his favorite spot on the couch. His training isn’t done yet either. He is on his way to to being certified in avalanche, water and HRD specialties as well.
As you can clearly see, all of these amazing boys and girls are not only hard working in keeping Coloradans safe, but they are full of love and life as well! If you’d like to learn more about SARDOC or would like to make a donation to support further training and guidance of very good dogs visit The Search & Rescue Dogs of Colorado website!
