Banjo, a nine-month-old German Wirehaired Pointer, has an excellent sense of smell. So, when he’s enjoying the outdoors with his human, he can’t help but follow his nose when there’s an unusual scent.
One day, Banjo’s dad was cross-country skiing near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, while Banjo trotted beside him. The pup picked up a peculiar scent and followed it off the trail, so his human decided to tag along. At first, it was just fun and games for Banjo, but his amazing sense of smell ended up saving a life!
A Life-Saving Sniff
Banjo wandered about 50 meters off the main trail to follow a smell. It’s not uncommon for the pup to track down wild animals, and he even has unique body language when he smells a living thing.
“Banjo has a distinct tail whip and body movement when he’s around fresh animal scent, so when I saw him run for the trees I knew something was there,” said Kerry, Banjo’s dad. “I assumed it was going to be a porcupine, bird, or rabbit.”
Banjo stopped when he reached a bush, and he continued to sniff around it curiously. To Kerry’s surprise, a dog’s golden head popped out from a hiding spot in the snow. A young Golden Retriever had dug a burrow in the snow for shelter. He was shivering and timid.
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The dog trusted Banjo, but he was hesitant to approach Kerry. Kerry couldn’t coax the nervous dog out of his hiding place, so he called animal control. As it turned out, the dog named Louie had been lost for days, so animal control connected Kerry to the dog’s family.
“Only when I put his owner on speakerphone did he show signs of moving,” Kerry said. “I was able to coax him out of the bush with some treats, but he still wouldn’t let me get that close.”
Lost Dog is Home for the Holidays!
Louie ran away from a dog park days earlier, but then a blizzard hit the area and made it hard for his humans to find him. When Kerry told Louie’s mom, Julia, that he found Louie, she was currently leading a search party for the dog. She was so excited that she sprinted through knee-deep snow for a half hour to get to him.
Once Louie saw his family, his fears disappeared, and he ran to greet them. He had lost some weight and needed medical attention, but Julia knew that with some love and care, he would be back in shape in no time.
“Banjo was stolen in August, so I held back some tears as I kinda know the feeling!” Kerry said. “There were lots of friends of Louie and some laughs and happy tears from his owner Julia — a waggy butt and a very excited and hungry Louie! It was very sweet.”
Kerry gave Julia some treats for Louie, and he offered her a beer to celebrate. They all agreed that Banjo was the true hero of the story though. If he hadn’t noticed Louie when he did, the pup might not have survived much longer. So, Banjo’s amazing sense of smell helped save a dog’s life and bring him home in time for the holidays!
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via Whisker Therapy