Prague, Jan 16 (CTK) – Two dogs of the Dog Detective (Psi detektiv) organisation, Border Collie Aireen and Biewer Yorkshire Terrier Richie, are being trained to find lost pets such as dogs, cats or even guinea pigs, the weekly Tyden writes on Monday.
This Czech project is unique in Europe. People like the pet detectives Ace Ventura from the film of the same name have been working only in the United States, for example Carl Washington with Poodle CoCo and Jack Russell Terrier Rocky.
The Psi detektiv organisation has been focusing on lost pets in the Czech Republic. Its director Klara Carbova said approximately 15 people address the organisation a day, reporting lost or found pets. Clients pay for the services of the website to cover the operation costs, she said.
Traditionally, most pets get lost on New Year’s Day, due to the fireworks. Carbova said 48 desperate pet owners contacted them after the recent New Year’s Eve celebrations.
When a pet is missing, the owner should stay at least six hours in the place where the pet got lost. If this time expires, the owner should leave some personal item in the place to leave his scent on the spot. The pet may find the item and wait for the owner to return, the organisation recommends.
Aneta Sobotkova and Michaela Chudobova have been training the two dog detectives, Aireen and Richie, for more than a year. At first, more dogs were trained and later these two were chosen for tracking missing pets.
Aireen and Richie have been tracking missing small dogs so far, however, they want to focus on other pets as well. “They can learn to track practically any animal that can make a sufficient scent trail,” Sobotkova told Tyden.
She said trailing animals was more difficult than mantrailing.
The group operates all over the Czech Republic, but its pet detectives are currently working only in the Hradec Kralove Region in which it has its seat, in the small spa town Velichovky, east Bohemia.
“If we drove far, the trail would get lost in the meantime,” Chudobova said, adding that the trail lasts six to twelve hours.
The dog detectives can trail an animal that is up to five kilometres far from them.
Sobotkova said different dog breeds can be trained to become pet detectives.
