Distinctly Montana Magazine

T he sun sits low on the horizon in the early morning hours of a crisp fall day at Missouri Headwaters State Park in Three Forks, MT. I start to shuffle a bit to keep warm, while Tia, a young black-and-tan German shepherd, leaps out of her crate and practically out of her skin in thrilled anticipation of what's coming next. Her handler, Alice Whitelaw, snaps an orange vest on her and calmly tells her to: "Go to work." Her over- the-top enthusiasm and energy swiftly take on a bulletproof focus and her nose hits the ground searching. Tia is sniffing out San Joaquin kit fox feces (poop) in a training exercise prior to being deployed on the job in the field. A specially trained detection dog, Tia is one of a cadre of dogs employed with Working Dogs for Conservation, a Montana-based nonprofit, helping scientists sniff out solutions to pressing conservation problems around the globe. Given the cognitive demands of her work, taking Tia through a variety of training problems keeps her on- the-job performance clean, error-free, and helps Whitelaw modify her training to help her be her best. Keeping Tia sharp in training is an intuitive investment in the pursuit of any canine vocation, but training is only a portion of what it takes to best prepare a dog for any activ- ity. Maintaining health and wellness are absolutely crucial to a strong performance whether the dog is fetching pheas- ants or a tennis ball in the park, running hills to sniff out an endangered species or to join their owner on the trail. Not unlike any human athlete, in order for dogs to perform at a top level they need the physiological support to do so. Prior to any field expedition, Whitelaw has a standing appointment with Dr. Kriege, a Livingston-based veterinar- ian certified in acupuncture, herbs, food therapy, and chi- ropractic care. Dr. Kriege practices these complementary modalities exclusively and it boosts the care Whitelaw can provide 10-fold. "Incorporating acupuncture, chiroprac- tics, and herbs along with traditional veterinary medicine, while paying close attention to nutrition, allows us to provide top-notch care to our dogs. We do this with each one from the moment they're brought into the program, through retirement and beyond." BY KATHRYN DUNNING Therapeutic H DOGS HAVE NO PROBLEM ACCEPTING NEEDLES, OFTEN BECOMING MORE RELAXED AND CALM. 70 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2013 r Bes t Dog for You Co mfort ealing Frien d

• Cover