CALGARY - After years of hard work, Atar, 7, hasn't exactly had a dog's life.
With more than just a nose for narcotics, the wily canine has been working in Banff National Park as a Parks Canada search and rescue dog since 2006.
He is now slated for a late-March retirement after having sustained several injuries such as torn ligaments over the course of his career.
It's the desire of Mike Henderson, Parks Canada warden and dog handler, to retire Atar before he loses the ability to enjoy his job.
In his first year of service, Atar successfully tracked an illegal sheep hunter over a period of 16 hours, recovering all of the brass shell casings from the poacher's rifle.
Since then, he has proved himself to be a hard-working member of the Parks Canada team.
In the fall, Henderson and Atar tracked a nude man through the Sundance area. The man, believed to be under the influence of illegal substances, became lost in the forest overnight.
"We had a grizzly bear in the area which made it a little more interesting," said Henderson. The man was found and taken to hospital.
Other notable mentions from Atar's career include his resourceful nature. During a ski tour, he taught himself to open trail packs on the sly and nip sandwiches for himself.
"It was a lesson learned," said Henderson. "You've got to keep the dog fuelled."
Looking back at the career of Atar through the eyes of his co-workers like warden Bradley Bischoff, it's apparent the dog will be missed, "He's a very professional, very focused animal," said Bischoff.
During his years with Parks Canada, Atar has become "part of the pack" at the Banff office. As part of aggression training, those in the branch have taken turns laying quarry trails for the dog.
"In quarry training, we put on the guard arm," said Bischoff. "It's quite an adrenalin rush to have a full-grown German shepherd run at you and latch on."
An Edmonton Oilers jersey is the typical "uniform" for aggression training sessions. Henderson says the jersey was just handy from an employee's hockey bag one day and has been used ever since.
Atar will be retiring in Waterton Lakes National Park with his new family, also Parks Canada employees, Patti and Brian Spreadbury.
Henderson said Atar will be missed and after allowing suitable time for the canine to bond to his new family, intends to head down to the park to "say hi."
courtesy of the Calgary Herald
The man, believed to be under the influence of illegal substances, became lost in the forest overnight.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Ya think?
That was a feel-good story. Thanks, Deb.
I particularly liked the part about the dog helping himself to lunch; gotta keep the body fueled y'know.
ReplyDeleteI like dog stories with happy endings, but let's not pretend that a dog helping himself to somebody else's food is some kind of amazing breakthrough. 'Cuz if it is, my dog is freakin' Einstein.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I have a blog "label" titled "Why I Love Dogs."
ReplyDeleteJeepers, it's been a coon's age since I did one of those posts. I think I was up to about four million when I slowed down on it.
Great story. Great animal. I've met very few dogs that didn't capture my attention...and affection. The hackneyed "man's best friend" deal could not be more true.
It's funny...when I was a kid I didn't care much for dogs. Never really had a close relationship with one. But, as I grew older I began to "get it"...as to why folks got so attached. Then along came "Midnight," our black lab that Pam INSISTED we take to raise (she was the smartest, finest animal that ever lived). Midnight got me hooked on dogs. I was about 35 years old before she convinced me...God rest her soul...
NYUK! Word verification: rover
We had only one dog in our family, Old Samantha, a standard dachsund. We got her for my son who was 5 at the time, She lived to the age of 16 and was a treasure to us all. Her last eleven years were in the country and she roamed all over the woods in back of our house and chased rabbits and deer. When she passed away, it hit us all pretty hard, which is probably why we never had another.
ReplyDeleteInno, you obviously haven't used a big enough stick on your dog. You have to beat them on a regular basis if you want them to behave. ;) I know it isn't an amazing breakthrough, I just found it amusing.
ReplyDeleteAndy, Pam is one very smart lady, you're just a little slow to catch on is all. My best friends are Niki and Jazz, the current residents at home and I really don't know what I'd do without them, it would definitely be a lonely existence to come home to an empty house.
ReplyDeleteDan, 16 is an admirable age for any dog, but you really are missing out by not having another. The new one will never be Old Samantha, but their own little 'person' and a whole bundle of love and joy.
ReplyDelete