The Animal Care Center of Castle Pines and Our Community Now want you to meet our November Pets of the Month!
Normally we would only have one pet of the month, but this duo is too inseparable for that! Meet Hope and Bear! They are a pair of best buddies who have been raised together since they were puppies. Hope, a 3.5-year-old Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler, and Bear, a 3.5-year-old Shetland Sheepdog, have an unusual job - they do search and rescue for lost pets. The loss of a previous dog prompted Hope and Bear's owners to train their new dogs for this task. Both dogs also wear GPS tracking units at all times! Typically, their days consist of lots of playtime and exercise, and some training work as well. On other days, they're out searching for lost pets. While they typically search for dogs and cats, they have also gotten search requests for turtles, rabbits, goats, and even horses. [gallery size="large" ids="4600,4601,4598"] Search dogs often work under grueling conditions, and both Hope and Bear have suffered their fair share of injuries. They stay in good working shape through preventative care, chiropractic care, lots of joint supplements, and physical rehabilitation when necessary. The wonderful doctors at The Animal Care Center of Castle Pines help in all these areas, from education on proper preventative care to recreational swimming in the ACC therapy pool. [gallery size="large" ids="4603,4602"] Our November pets of the month are trained in multiple search disciplines: trailing, area search, and decomposition. Trailing is commonly referred to as tracking, and the premise is to follow the route taken by a missing pet for as long as possible, ideally right up to the missing pet. Area searches involve clearing a specific area in search of a missing pet. It is an unfortunate fact that living in Colorado does put our pets in close proximity to larger predators. While it is less common than some people think, some pets do unfortunately succumb to predator attacks. During a decomposition search, the dogs can search a specified area for minute traces of remains after a predator attack, most of which would go unnoticed by the human eye or nose. These searches can help provide closure to pet owners or provide hope that their pet is still alive and well. [gallery size="large" ids="4604,4605"] Hope and Bear may not be typical searching breeds, but both dogs have strengths that allow them to do this work. Hope possesses a relentless work ethic and Bear has a true love for playing with and meeting any and all animals, as well as an incredible prey drive. For more information on lost pet recovery, please visit www.missingpettracker.com. Our November pets of the month and us at Our Community Now want to give a big shoutout to the awesome veterinarians at Animal Care Center of Castle Pines for taking such great care of them! To book your own pet for fabulous care at the Animal Care Center of Castle Pines, call (303)-653-9589 or visit us here.Make sure your pets are safe this Thanksgiving! Watch out for these common Thanksgiving pet dangers.
