Glacier, a fun-loving Yellow Lab who was found wandering the streets of Montana not far from Glacier National Park, owes his good fortune in finding a place with SDF to two “dog nuts,” a little bit of chance and sheer destiny.
In January of 2004, Kellee Mathews, a vet tech with Guide Dogs of America, and her friend, Colleen, who was their puppy manager at the time, took a vacation to Bigfork, Montana to visit a friend. While there, the two self-proclaimed “dog nuts” decided to visit some area animal shelters. One day, they made a stop at the Flathead County Animal Control in Kalispell, Montana. It was there that they spotted Glacier. He was a ten-month-old Yellow with “a lot of energy.” Being the middle of winter, Kellee and Colleen were wearing big heavy coats and gloves. One of them took off a glove and tossed it to the other. They both started playfully tossing it back and forth. Kellee said that at that moment Glacier went “crazy” and joined in the fun. “Colleen and I just looked at each other and thought…search dog?”
After playing with Glacier for a while, the pair talked to the workers at the shelter. Glacier had been picked up wandering the streets of Montana about ten days prior to their visit to the shelter. And, as they learned, his time was almost up—he was soon to be euthanized. Kellee and Colleen immediately inquired about adopting Glacier and the shelter eventually gave their approval. So Kellee and Colleen bought a dog crate and brought him with them on their flight back to California.
Kellee said that she never called SDF before they left Montana, because she was pretty confident about Glacier’s potential. She said she just decided to take a chance. Kellee had worked with SDF in the past when dogs at Guide Dogs of America needed a “career change.” She said that she was now completely “hooked” on SDF and what it does.
When they returned home with Glacier, Kellee called Miki Klocke, then-Canine Manager at SDF, and “the rest was destiny.”
Glacier at first spent time adjusting with both Glen Murphy and Sonja Donaldson. He moved through that stage pretty quickly. Kellee said that she knew he would excel fast, because he was a fun dog who didn’t want any trouble. He was very enthusiastic.
Someone who could confirm Glacier’s enthusiasm was his handler, Eric Haslam. Eric, a Fire Apparatus Engineer with California Task Force 3 based in Menlo Park said that Glacier was, “quite a character – a fierce competitor, very toy-driven with a play mentality that never quits. He is a very good example of a search dog. He always wants to please.” Glacier and Eric completedSDF’s training program at Sundowners Kennel in Gilroy, California on December 19, 2004.
At that time, Eric said that as a young team they operated on a learning curve. He was continually learning how to pick up signals from Glacier during training by paying close attention to the movements of Glacier’s eyes, ears and nose. Also, Eric recognized the bond and trust that they have developed. He recalled that when they first started training together at Sundowners, he would ask Glacier to do something, and Glacier would look at SDF’s lead trainer at the time, Pluis Davern, to make sure it was okay. Then he remembered the first day when Pluis asked Glacier to do something, and Glacier looked at Eric for approval. Wow, what an amazing feeling!
Unfortunately, Eric sustained a knee injury during SDF’s training course. During that time, Glacier went back to Sundowners where he had a reputation for “being a loud one.” But Eric said that when Glacier saw him again for the first time after their separation, he knew exactly who Eric was and exactly what he wanted him to do.
Eric’s “need to get it exactly right”attitude and Glacier’s “roll with the punches” disposition, made them a great team that did very well right out the gate. Glacier found a new family in Eric’s home, with Eric’s wife, their sons, and three other family dogs. Glacier had found his place in the world and would never again have to wander the streets.
In June of 2006, Glacier and Eric achieved Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Certification, which made them eligible to deploy when disasters occurred. The call came shortly after when Hurricane Ernesto badly damaged parts of Florida and North Carolina at the end of August 2006. They spent several days back east with a number of SDF canine handlers from multiple Task Forces, all scouring the rubble for anyone trapped alive. The teams were able to give the citizens there comfort in knowing that no one was left behind.
In September of 2008, Glacier was retired, and spent his remaining years as a beloved family pet in the Haslam home. Remarkably, Glacier lived until the age of 16 before he crossed the Rainbow Bridge with his best friend Eric at his side.