Ellie Mae is a bloodhound who has been trained and certified to track the scent of lost animals. Working with her handler, Landa Coldiron, she has located hundreds of lost pets over the past six years. Ellie Mae was trained for 18 months by Ms. Coldiron, starting at 10 weeks of age. Ellie Mae is given bedding, a leash or other items to guide her nose along the path left by the missing pet. The use of sniffer dogs to track lost dogs is a relatively new phenomenon. There are only about 20 certified missing animal response technicians working the U.S. and the demand for their services is growing.
Ellie Mae has worked in extreme temperatures and under difficult conditions to locate missing cats and dogs. She starts on the trail, narrowing down the direction of travel, so frantic owners know where to concentrate their search efforts. She is trained to let her handler know that the cat or dog went through a gate or over a fence. It is very difficult work. Ellie Mae is smart and devoted to her work. She has given closure to families that would have never known what happened to their beloved pets without her.
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No one wants their animals to become the victims of a disaster. The CVMF is working to prevent this from happening by providing relief and aid in the interest of animal health in the event of a disaster. They will accomplish this by working with the CVMA's Disaster Preparedness Committee and by providing funds for: