Moose’s journey began in Utah, where he lived with his large family, which included kids of all ages and several other dogs. However, when his family suddenly needed to move, they found themselves in a tough situation since they couldn’t take all of their dogs with them. When the time came to make a choice between their canine companions, they decided that Moose would need to be rehomed—his energy was simply too intense and required more time from his owners than they felt they could give him. Thankfully, Moose wouldn’t be looking for a new home for long! When the family listed Moose for adoption, an SDF canine recruiter noticed the ad and reached out. Before long, Moose was on the Four-Legged Kids Bus en route to SDF!
Here, trainers fell in love with this big, bouncy chocolate Lab with a big, bouncy personality to match! Moose has a penchant for leaping into the air with excitement after receiving his toy reward, and his goofy antics never failed to make us laugh. The enthusiasm he brought to every training session made him a ton of fun to work with, and similarly, Moose had a blast working through his foundational elements as he mastered each skill he would need to graduate and become a search dog!
However, once he had passed all of his skills tests, his trainers felt that his bark alert still needed some work. We knew he had it in him—he sometimes enjoys barking just for fun, so we heard his loud bark plenty—but that love of barking just didn’t seem to translate to his rubble searches. His trainers employed a variety of strategies in an effort to bring out his bark, including going back to the basics and playing games specifically designed to encourage a stronger bark alert, but after a few months of this targeted training, his bark still hadn’t progressed the way we had hoped.
Apart from his bark alert, Moose succeeded in and loved every aspect of his training, so we knew he would make a fantastic search dog in an alternative working dog discipline where he could utilize a more flexible alert style. Our team started looking for a career change placement where his talents could shine, and soon after, a wilderness search and rescue handler reached out to express his interest in working with Moose. This was just the opportunity for Moose we had been hoping for!
The Virginia-based handler flew to California to get to know his potential canine partner, and as the two worked together over the course of his weeklong stay, their partnership was cemented—Moose had found his perfect match! The pair flew home to Virginia together, where Moose settled into his new life and prepared to begin a new and exciting chapter as a wilderness search dog!
After a short delay, Moose and his handler dove headfirst into their training to become a wilderness air-scenting team with the Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association—the same organization career change dog Peat works with—and just four months into their training, the pair tested and passed their first certification! Now, with their BOA, Open Field Assessment, and Trail Assessment behind them, they’re well on their way to becoming a fully operational Wilderness Search and Rescue team!
Upon arriving home with his handler, Moose discovered that in addition to his dream job, his new life also came with a whole family full of people who were excited to meet and get to know him! He happily bonded with his new humans, quickly making a place for himself as a loved member of the family. He may be intensely driven and focused while on the job, but at home, he’s completely relaxed and a total family dog. His handler also reports that Moose is as bouncy as ever and still loves to “jump up and down like a kangaroo”—we can’t say we’re surprised!
We’re so incredibly happy that Moose has found his perfect place in the world, and we couldn’t be more proud of all he has accomplished along the way. Moose and his handler plan to officially certify in the next few months, and we look forward to celebrating each new milestone as they continue training and working toward this exciting goal!
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