Conservation’s Best Friend

Wicket, a Labrador retriever mix, steals through clumps of dried knapweed along the banks of Greenough Park. It’s a gray April day, and alternating rain and light snow have made the dead leaves soggy. The dog’s quarry, a light brown snail the size of a thumb, is well camouflaged.

he search goes hot, then cold, then hot again. Aimee Hurt, Wicket’s handler and associate director of the Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation (WDCF), coaches the dog with an outstretched finger and a few encouraging words. Wicket, nose to ground, hardly pays attention. She’s focused, intent, energized, a veteran. When she finally catches the faintest scent trail and pinpoints her target, she sits and locks eyes with Hurt. Towering over the snail in her flashy orange vest, Wicket looks imposing.

That’s Hurt’s cue. She tosses a pink and blue ball from her belt pack and Wicket goes nuts. The dog darts around the brush until she finds a good spot to sit and gnaw. Wicket’s rookie coworker, Orbee, barks and whines from the back of Hurt’s pickup, antsy for his turn.

Read More: Conservation’s Best Friend,

(published in the Missoula Independent, by Alex Sakariassen; photos: Chad Harder)