Recently we featured an article in our newsletter about one of our very dedicated pet owners Sonya and her amazing dog Bella. Together they have achieved the highest level of tracking title and assist the police with vital search tracking for lost people. Sonya kindly provided an article about her special partnership with Bella. We have included it here for your interest.
Eight years ago I fell in love with an 8 week old Labrador cross Kelpie, who I named Bella. Being such an active dog we enrolled in a Tracking Club, Advanced Tracking Club of WA. Here we learnt how to track. This involves the dog tracking human scent by providing the dog with an article from the person, then the dog following where the person has gone. Through doing this we have achieved several titles along the way. Just recently, Bella and I achieved the highest title a dog/handler can achieve in Australia, and she became a
Track and Search Grand Champion, the first cross breed in WA to achieve this title.
Bella and I are now a Certified Operational K9 team with Search Dogs Australia and hence have been activated on a number of callouts to assist the police with searching for missing people/children.
Being in this role, it is vital to keep Bella in good physical/mental condition. I can say being with Cannington Veterinary Hospital and knowing how dedicated all the staff there are is wonderful to know we are in safe and caring hands. I’ve been going to Cannington Veterinary Hospital for over 35 years, originally with my family dog Lucky, then my previous dog Bo and now with Bella. I just wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks to all the staff – Doctor Kelly, Doctor Cooper and Doctor Underwood (who have provided us with so much support over the years) and to all the vet nurses who are always there to greet us with a smile, cuddle and treats.
Sonya Bowditch
