It was in 2022 that Hoof & Paw took in Red, a full-blooded Red Fox Labrador surrendered by a hunter in the area who said the dog was too much for his family. Indeed, the dog displayed unbelievable levels of energy. Hoof & Paw volunteers verified as much at the shelter when they received him, seeing the dog continuously circle in his kennel.
“He had so much energy, but we got to where we could run him off leash and he would go and come back,” said Hoof & Paw’s executive director Tonya Stephens. “He did love water. He’d get in the doggie swimming pool and circle in that … He was such a ‘spaz.’”
Volunteers at Naturita’s shelter put the dog on a site called petfinder.com to see if they could find adoptive parents. Stephens said she’s always a bit wary with the site, because volunteers are never certain who will inquire about animals. But, a woman from Durango called about the dog, and she was interested in trying to care for him and get him exercise.
A month later, though, she called Hoof & Paw and asked volunteers to relist him online. He was just too much for her. Still, she agreed to keep him until he was readopted. And, the foster dog-mom continued to check in with Hoof & Paw in the meantime.
Then, something changed. At about the three-month mark, she announced she’d decided to keep Red. She said she’d been keeping him very busy, working with him daily, training his nose and taking him on hikes as long as 10 or more miles a few times each week. Stephens said the woman lives on land that borders the U.S. Forest Service, and there are many roads to walk. She said the dog had a tracking collar and always came back. If the owner walked eight miles, she could see the dog walked double that — as many as 16 miles some days.
What happened next was very moving for Stephens. The new owner decided to train Red as a cadaver dog, a canine who assists detectives in searching for human remains. The owner herself doesn’t work in that field, but she had the idea to take Red to a testing facility in Montana, where the animal graduated at the top of his class. Since then, they’ve been to California twice, Texas twice and Nevada. Recently, Red has become certified in his cadaver work to search moving water and large-scale areas.
At 5 years old, Red is now a member of the La Plata County Search and Rescue.
Stephens said she agrees what’s happened with Red and his success story is truly why she does the work for Hoof & Paw. She’s so happy the dog got a second chance and found his purpose in life.
“I’m so impressed she put the time and energy into him,” Stephens said in an interview April 27.
Red was just on a trip this month, continuing his cadaver work. His owner reached out to let Hoof & Paw know.
“He’s taught me so very much,” said owner Sonya Streater in a recent message to Stephens. “He’s really matured and is much calmer than that first year.”
As Stephens eagerly awaits her next update on Red and his national work in helping detectives find the deceased, she continues to show up every day with other volunteers for the other stray and unwanted animals in the West End. Anyone interested in fostering or adopting, who has the ability to provide a loving home, should contact Hoof & Paw to inquire about the animals there now.
