MEEKER | His name is officially Benjamin, but he goes by Benny. This young St. Bernard was picked up as a dog-at-large in Meeker at the end of July, according to Community Service Officer Melissa Fellows, and subsequently relinquished to the Meeker Animal Shelter by his owner.
“He was in our care for a couple weeks,” Fellows said. “He’s a sweet dog.” Benny, 112 pounds, made friends with a 20-pound terrier during his stay, going on walks with Benny carrying his smaller pal’s leash.
On Wednesday, Aug. 14, an HR representative from the Forest Service, in town with the firefighting crews, visited with Fellows and asked what needs the shelter had. The rep replaced batteries in bark collars for the three evacuated dogs at the shelter and met Benny. On Thursday she called to tell Fellows she’d talked to her family about adopting Benny, and then called back to say her commander at the fire camp told her to bring Benny to the incident command center at the Fairgrounds.
“He was a celebrity instantly,” Fellows said. By Thursday evening, Benny the St. Bernard had been deemed the official Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 mascot. He knows basic commands already, but will go through additional training to serve as an emotional support animal, traveling to fire camps with the team.
Benny’s terrier friend was adopted by a couple from Grand Junction who drove over Douglas Pass through Rangely to get to Meeker.
Fellows said donations to the animal shelter’s spay/neuter and vaccination program are greatly appreciated. She received a grant this year that was twice the usual amount and has already used it up. “It’s a community need,” she said. Donations to the program go to the local vet clinic and can be dropped off at Town Hall.
