Python Pete: Hero Hound

Lori Oberhofer, a biological technician at Everglades National Park working with native species has trained her pet dog Pete to help on the job by tracking down exotic/non-native pythons that are an epidemic in South Florida. Pythons came to South Florida as pets and when people no longer wanted nor could care for the snakes; instead of finding them a new home released them into the Everglades. The pythons found very favorable conditions, and created a breeding population. Park Rangers find and remove several hundred pythons from the park every year.

This amazing working relationship was inspired when Ranger Oberhofer was working in the Pacific with the United State Department of Agriculture on controlling and removing exotic species. Ranger Oberhofer met people in Guam who had trained dogs to detect Brown Tree Snakes which have devastated the native bird populations. These snakes are traveling to islands all over the Pacific by using airplanes as transportation. Dogs are being used in Guam, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands to detect and prevent the snakes from invading new territory. Inspired by the work she saw in the Pacific, Lori came back to work in the Everglades National Park in 2001 and did something she had never done before; she got a dog.

Ranger Lori Oberhofer and Python Pete, as he has come to be known, have been working together for four years to track down and remove pythons from the Everglades. This is not an easy task. Pythons are large snakes, have been known to eat alligators; are highly mobile, can be found in water and on land, and like to hide. Small dogs like Pete could be considered a tasty snack. So what can a lone dog and lone Ranger do? They can tell others of the dangers and problems that releasing pets into the wild causes by reminding them to remember this important phrase, “Don't Let It Loose”.

Ranger Oberhofer understands the appeal of owning exotic pets; she has had snakes, birds and even a skunk as a pet. But she does not approve of releasing non-native animals out into the wild; it is not only bad for the pet but has huge effects on the native plants and animals. So until Lori and Python Pete get their message “Don't Let It Loose” out to everyone they will be doing what they can to track down those pesky pythons one by one.

Lori Oberhofer
Park Ranger
Everglades National Park
Florida

Ridley and Kempie Save the Sea Turtles

How do you find the eggs of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle? Sea turtles come to shore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, dig out nests, lay their eggs, and then go back to sea. Their only protection is being hidden, under the sand, out of sight. Imagine trying to find sea turtle eggs. It is a difficult thing to do. Difficult if you are only relying on your eyes to find them.

Donna Shaver, Ph.D., Chief of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore, has been working to save the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle for 28 years. She has created an exciting solution to finding the turtle nests. She has trained her dogs Ridley Ranger and Kempie (official park volunteers) to sniff out sea turtle nests. Donna Shaver and her volunteers look for the turtle nest along with probing and digging. When this is not successful Ridley Ranger and Kempie are brought in for the rescue using their noses to find the nest.

Ridley's training was put to the test on June 7, 2007 when human volunteers and staff had looked for over 5 hours for a Kemp's ridley sea turtle nest. The crew knew a nest was in the area but winds had blown the tracks of the mother turtle away, making it difficult to find. Ridley was dispatched to the site and 5 minutes later sniffed out the location of the nest. The eggs were gathered for incubation and later the hatchlings were safely released back into the Gulf of Mexico. Ridley's successful search resulted in the release of 92 baby sea turtles that would have otherwise not survived.

For now Ranger Shaver is looking to the future, Ridley will soon be joined on the beaches by his younger sister Kempie who is in the training stages of learning how to find eggs. With the continued diligent support of 120 dedicated human (and now puppy) volunteers these endangered sea turtles are being protected. It is hoped that by 2020 the Kemp's ridley sea turtle can be downgraded from endangered to threatened and eventually can removed from the endangered species list.

Donna Shaver, Ph.D.
Chief of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery
Padre Island National Seashore
Texas

Dogs with Sled

Sled dogs are a big part of life here at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. It is the only park in America with a working sled dog kennel. During the seven months of the year when the winter landscape is frozen under ice and snow, Park Rangers depend upon a historic type of dog known as the Alaskan Husky to lead patrols within federal designated wilderness areas. These are special places where no motorized vehicles, such as snow machines or ATVs, are allowed to travel.

Some of the park dogs, which are most comfortable working at temperatures of at least minus-10ºF, run about 1,200 miles through the park each year. Denali's dog teams –

To learn more about these remarkable creatures, visit the kennels page on the park website at http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm or go to WebRangers and do the sled dog activities.

Jay Elhard
Park Ranger
Denali National Park and Preserve
Alaska

Good Bye Geese

Mitsy is a nine-year-old Border Collie who works at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Her job is to chase Canada Geese away so they don't leave their droppings all over the park.

New Jersey Wild Geese Control Inc. has been using Mitsy to chase geese for seven years. She was specially chosen to work at the Statue of Liberty because of her great love of children. Her owners noticed that she would “melt” when children came to visit and would strain against her leash to see them.

Mitsy is very good at her job. Like all of her company's dogs, she only chases the birds away. She never harms them. She also loves the boat rides as she goes between islands to perform her patrols.

Border Collies have a natural herding instinct and are used around the world to herd sheep, cattle, and other farm animals. They are good at following voice commands while working off the leash. New Jersey Wild Geese Control uses Border Collies because their way of stalking mimics the movements of an Arctic Fox, which is a natural predator of the Canada Goose. Even though the geese in New York Harbor are year-round residents and have never seen an Arctic Fox, being wary of predators is an inbred instinct in them, much as it is between mice and cats.

Geese are drawn to Liberty and Ellis Islands because of their well manicured lawns surrounded by water. When a goose eats grass, it goes every eight minutes and can produce a pound and a half of droppings per day! Using Border Collies like Mitsy is the most effective, humane way to keep the park's grounds clean and encourage the birds to move to wildlife preserves away from humans.

Danelle Simonelli
Park Ranger
Statue of Liberty National Monument
New York

Dog Rescue in Great Smoky Mountains

Imagine getting a phone call from a park ranger reporting that they found your dog, who had been missing for 16 days, and that he was hungry, thirsty, and sore but otherwise in good shape. In November, 2005 park rangers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park rescued a 2-year old hunting dog that had fallen 70 feet and was trapped in a sinkhole.

A group of campers discovered the dog after they heard barking near their backcountry campsite and went to investigate. Dogs are not allowed in the backcountry. Close to the campsite they located a 30-foot by 40-foot hole in the ground from where the barking was coming. They went to find help and contacted a local builder who was working on a house just outside the park.

The builder used a rope and seat harness to get close enough to the edge of the sinkhole to see the dog about 40 feet straight down on a ledge, but was unable to get down to the dog. The builder contacted the park and rangers responded to the site. Ranger Rick Brown rappelled into the sinkhole and could see that the dog had fallen into a second pit and was now 70 feet down. After reaching the dog, he made a makeshift harness for him, and holding the dog in his arms, three other rangers used a pulley system to haul them both out the hole. It is unknown how long the dog was trapped in the hole but both dog and owner were thankful for the rescue.

Bob Miller
Management Assistant
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Tennessee

Dogs with the Answers

Micah and Jerico Gebus volunteer at Monocacy National Battlefield, but they are different from most Volunteers in Parks – they're dogs! Their owners, Delores and George, began walking the miniature greyhounds in the park nearly every day about nine years ago.

Visitors would stop to ask about the unusual looking dogs and often asked other questions about the park. Delores and George quickly learned more about the park in order to answer all the questions they were receiving and signed up as volunteers.

Micah and Jerico, along with their owners, meet and greet hundreds of visitors each year. They even have special coats for winter with an “official” National Park Service Volunteers in Parks patch. You might see Micah and Jerico on your visit to Monocacy!

Norton-K9

Hello! My name is Sergeant Bill Vitolo. I am the supervisor of the K9 unit for the U.S. Park Police office in New York City. My canine partner is an 80-pound black and tan German Shepherd named “Norton”.

We work at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The K9 unit includes eight officers and eight dogs. Most of the canines are German Shepherds, but we also have two Labrador Retrievers.

All of our dogs are trained to sniff out explosives. They sniff out each day's mail, unattended packages, trucks making deliveries, and the boats that transport visitors to Liberty and Ellis Islands.

Norton came to me from The Seeing Eye organization in Morristown, New Jersey. He was raised to be a Seeing Eye dog but his puppy raisers found him to be too excitable to perform that particular job. Norton turned out, however, to be an excellent sniffer of explosives, so he was adopted by the U.S. Park Police.

My dog and I attended 14 weeks of “scent school” led by the Union County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey. We learned how to detect different substances and how to behave if we find something suspicious, so that both of us stay safe.

Norton is now 2 1/2 years old. He is very handsome and smart, as well as being gentle and sweet. He comes home with me every day and is part of my family. Norton likes to play fetch and run around his backyard with my three children. He also enjoys eating treats and having his back and tummy rubbed.

As much as he likes his play time, Norton still enjoys jumping into our police vehicle and going to work. In fact, Norton is the best partner I have ever had!

Sergeant Bill Vitolo
United States Park Police
Statue of Liberty National Monument
New York

Sam Searches the Sonoran

This is Sam. Sam is a 6 year old Golden Retriever who lives in the Sonoran Desert with his mom, Park Ranger Andy Fisher at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. When Sam and Andy first moved to the desert, Sam was only 6 months old and Andy already knew he was a very smart dog. Sam didn't like Andy going to work all day and he started chewing on things in the house.

One day, Andy looked at Sam, after he had gotten into trouble again, and said “Sam, you need a job so you aren't so bored. You are smart and you like people, maybe you should learn how to find lost people.” Sam already knew how to find lots of other kinds of things like shoes, tennis balls, and dog toys. Seemed like a good idea.

Andy found soon people who knew how to train Search and Rescue Dogs and started taking Sam to class. They traveled all over the country together learning from the best dog trainers Andy could find. They also started working with people who lived in the park so Sam could practice. Sam and Andy lived next door to Matthew, a kid whose parents worked for the park too. Matthew agreed to help them out by going out everyday and finding a new place to hide. Matthew had a lot of fun hiding behind rocks, below bushes, up on hillsides, next to giant cactus, and down in dry riverbeds. Matthew enjoyed trying to trick Sam in as many ways as he could. Sam had fun finding him every time. It became Sam's favorite thing to do, and he was really good at it.

When Sam turned two years old it was time to take his test. He had to go out in the middle of the night and find a person who was pretending to be lost on the side of a mountain while lots of people watched to see if he could do the job. Sam had no problem finding this person in the dark, because he always uses his nose, not his eyes, to find lost people. That night, he became a certified Search and Rescue Dog, or SAR dog.

There are lots of kinds of SAR dogs. Sam's specialty is called wilderness air-scent. It means that instead of putting his nose on the ground and following a person's trail, Sam puts his nose in the air and smells for anybody who might be upwind from him.

When it is time for Sam to go to work, he wears his SAR vest. It is bright orange and has a jingle bell so Andy can keep track of Sam. He doesn't work on a leash, but he listens to Andy's voice so he knows where to go. She looks at him and asks, “Are you ready to go searching? Are you sure?” Sam gets all excited and jumps up and down so Andy knows he is ready and then she says ”FIND!“ That is Sam's command. He goes to work smelling the air and looking for the lost person. Andy's job is to keep him in as much smelly wind as possible. When Sam smells someone, he follows his nose to the person as fast as he can. Most of the time, he follows his nose so fast, Andy can't keep up with him so she stops and waits until he comes back to her. When he comes back, if he has found someone, he tells Andy by pulling on a tennis ball she wears on her belt. They call the ball a bringsel. It is the best way for Andy to be sure that Sam is telling her that someone was found.

Andy then says, “Good boy, Sam. SHOW ME!” That is Sam's command to go back to the lost person and Andy tries her best to follow him as fast as she can. Sometimes, the person is over 1/4 mile away and Sam is so fast, Andy has to stop and wait again. Sam always comes back, pulls on the bringsel and Andy again says, “SHOW ME.” Eventually, Sam leads Andy to the person. Andy checks to see if the person is okay, calls the first responder Rangers on her radio to let them know that they found somebody and gives them the GPS coordinates so they can get to the lost person too, and then she gives Sam his reward.

All Sam wants for doing such an important job is to play with the bringsel. They play fetch, tug, and Andy gives Sam lots of ear scratches and belly rubs. For the National Park Service, the most important part of the job is finding lost people. For Sam, it isn't a job at all, but a really fun game that he always wins.

Andy Fisher
Park Ranger
Organ Pipe National Monument
Arizona

On Being a Denali Sled Dog Pup

Yawn... stretch... scratch... sniff, our day has begun.
Yawn... stretch... scratch... bark, we're in for some fun!

The ranger is coming — by the hat we can tell!
The ranger is coming — this is going to be swell!
Some kibble and water, breakfast is served.
“Time to eat!” says the ranger.
There's not time to delay.
First it's breakfast, then play!
How we love to play, play, play, play!

Tumble and spin, kick, bite and squeak
Of the whole spring-born litter there's not one who is meek!
Tumble and spin, kick, growl and bark
Today is the day we venture into the park!

Down to the creek we will go, to get our paws wet.
Being a puppy is fun, of that you can bet.
Jump over some rocks, sniff a flower, bark a song!
Being a puppy is fun, we love to do this all day long!

Right now it is summer and lots of people we see.
Our days are relaxed, laid back, and carefree.
But as the pups of Denali our mission is clear
When we grow up big and strong, it's the sleds we will steer!

By the big dogs we're told it really is quite a thrill
Pulling a sled through Denali on nothing but sheer will!
We long for those days to be out on the trail
Up hill, over dale, cross frozen tundra we will sail!

Until then we're happy to greet visitors with bark.
That's our way of saying, “Enjoy Denali National Park!”

Jori Welchans
Park Ranger
Denali National Park and Preserve
Alaska

Ranger's Story

My name is Ranger, because I live with one. I've lived most of my life in a small park in Pennsylvania called Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. It's a great place to live and to play.

I enjoy greeting all the people who visit the park. My family and I walk around the park, with me on a leash, talking with visitors, letting them know all the fun things to see and do. Most people visit this park for the history but I like the forests and trails.

I love to walk through the woods. The rocks and soil feel cool under my feet and around every bend there is something to see or smell. There are lots of trees, flowers, and little animals to sniff. Sometimes we see larger animals such as deer and foxes. My favorite are the wild turkeys who usually travel in flocks.

The trails are well marked, but being a ranger I sometimes walk off the trail in areas where it is safe. I also like to splash into the streams, to cool off on hot summer days. Taking a hike in the park is fun anytime of year. The falling leaves of autumn are brightly colored and fun to watch as they blow around on windy days. And on snowy winter days I get to sniff all kinds of animal tracks, as a few animals venture out in the cold to find food.

We also have a farm in the park, with horses, cows, chickens and sheep. They smell really funny but they are fun to watch. My favorites are the chickens, although I'm not allowed to chase them.

If you come visit the park bring your dog. They'll enjoy the visit (on a leash, of course). It's fun!

Jeffrey Collins
Park Ranger
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Pennsylvania