RBC I If you’ve got a spare car or truck you can leave at the Rifle Middle School this weekend, some dogs and their handlers would be very grateful.
According to Meeker’s Arlene Estes, who will be competing in the K9 Nose Work Trials, scents the dogs are trained to recognize are hidden in various places on the vehicles.
“The scent is usually on a Q-tip, placed in the wheel wells, or the bumper, or on a receiver hitch,” Estes said. Then the dogs have a time limit in which to locate the designated scent. They start with birch, and then anise and clove.
The competition is part of a series of trials held around the country, including the one held in Meeker this summer that attracted more than 100 teams.
To see scent work in action locally, visit the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials next week. Estes and other members of the Colorado Northwestern Community College Canine Sniffers group will be giving demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday morning.
For this weekend, the event in Rifle is at the Rifle Middle School, 753 Railroad Ave., from Sept. 2-4. If you have a vehicle you can loan to the group, please call Arlene Estes at 878-5655.
