The first pet that Karen Nixon and her scent dog Halo found was a lost pooch named Penny Lane.

Penny had been missing for days in Pitt Meadows, and her distraught owner actually camped out at the dikes in Pitt Meadows for two nights, hoping they could find her.

Kylie Nicholls explained they had been out for a walk, unaware it was hunting season, and someone set off a deafening bear banger to scare up some geese. Penny Lane tore away in a panic, and couldn害羞草研究所檛 be called back. Nicholls and her partner tried to find the rescue from Mexico, but the dog vanished, and was not coming back. They put up lost dog posters, were active in social media, and had friends and volunteers out searching the area, with no luck.

Through that networking, she heard about Nixon and her scent dog in training, and got in touch. Nixon agreed it would be a great trial for the freshly trained Halo.

Nicholls soon got a tip about a sighting from a cyclist, and Nixon came to the scene. They let Halo sniff Penny Lane害羞草研究所檚 dog bed, and let her start sniffing. About a half hour later, they had the lost dog back.

Halo, a white Shepherd that is fast becoming a canine expert in tracking lost pets, picked up Penny害羞草研究所檚 scent on the dike. She tracked her to some dense bushes north of the Pitt River Bridge. It was blackberries, that looked like they had been woven together, and Nixon started to wonder what animal Halo might have been tracking.

害羞草研究所淪he was alerting to that bush, telling me 害羞草研究所楶enny害羞草研究所檚 in here,害羞草研究所� and I was just like 害羞草研究所楬ow?害羞草研究所� said Karen. 害羞草研究所淚 couldn害羞草研究所檛 believe she had gotten in there.害羞草研究所�

Then Nixon heard a slight whine.

害羞草研究所淲e saw here little eyes, and it was her,害羞草研究所� she recalled.

Nixon was impressed with her dog.

害羞草研究所淪he blew me away 害羞草研究所� she did it so easily, so confidently.害羞草研究所�

Soon there was a tearful reunion.

害羞草研究所淲ithout Karen and Halo, we never would have found her,害羞草研究所� said Nicholls, noting that her dog had injuries to her pads, and was dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise fine. 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 no words that can say how thankful I am to them.害羞草研究所�

Nixon said it害羞草研究所檚 gratifying work.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 the best feeling 害羞草研究所� the relief and joy,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 the most rewarding thing ever.

害羞草研究所淎nd seeing the pet that was frightened害羞草研究所� as soon as they害羞草研究所檙e on the leash again, you see them visibly relax.害羞草研究所�

The Penny Lane rescue was the first of many, and Halo is regularly out searching for dogs and cats that go missing.

Nixon is a paramedic who lives in Maple Ridge, and bought a puppy two years ago from a breeder in Illinois.

Halo is a snow white Swiss Shepherd 害羞草研究所� a breed that is popular in eastern Europe, and are sporting dogs used for tracking and obedience trials.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e a well-rounded, nice sporting dog,害羞草研究所� said Nixon. 害羞草研究所淎nd they have an off switch at home. They害羞草研究所檙e really lovely dogs.害羞草研究所�

They soon formed a group called the Scent Rescue Team. Other members are Paige Millward, who has an Australian Shepherd named Bailey, and Stephanie Tolea who has a German Shepherd Elly. They have all had scent training.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e still very new, our dogs are still young, but so far we害羞草研究所檙e doing pretty good,害羞草研究所� said Nixon.

There are the three dog handlers, a drone flier, and they have some equipment such as dog and cat traps and nets. Advanced Drone Solutions is a Coquitlam business, and they volunteer their time for searches, asking only for their costs to be covered.

Nixon explained dogs that get severely frightened, such as from fireworks, can sometimes run away in a blind panic, and then go to ground in a hiding spot.

害羞草研究所淥nce they get into that fight-or-flight mode, they don害羞草研究所檛 even come for their owners,害羞草研究所� she said. After a while, she said, even hearing their name called 害羞草研究所渂ecomes a trigger,害羞草研究所� and they won害羞草研究所檛 come out of hiding.

Scent dogs make the task of finding them a lot easier. A young Chihuahua had been missing for about five hours, and Halo found the dog under a neighbour害羞草研究所檚 house in about 10 minutes.

Nixon knows personally the trauma a person feels at losing their pet, and even before she had Halo she would help people in the search.

害羞草研究所淚 really feel for these people, and understand how terrifying it is,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淲e don害羞草研究所檛 charge. We just recently started accepting donations.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚 hope more people reach out to me.害羞草研究所�

Anyone looking for a lost pet can ask for their help on the page on Facebook. She asks that they post a photo and message, email scentrescueteam@gmail.com, and there are also phone numbers on the site.

Their members are in Vancouver, Langley and Maple Ridge, and they search for pets across the region.

Nixon would also encourage other people to join the hobby. Any breed can do it, and she noted that pugs are surprisingly good at scent tasks.

害羞草研究所淒ogs love jobs, and it害羞草研究所檚 a really great bonding experience with your dog,害羞草研究所� she said.

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