TURTLE DOGS
On August 27 Bones escaped from the Earthshine turtle enclosure only a few hours before he was set to have his transmitter attached! Apparently he either climbed the fence or squeezed through a small hole that had formed during recent heavy rains. I was at a loss to his location so I called my friend John Rucker and asked him if he would like to bring his turtle retrieving dogs to Earthshine to hunt for Bones as well as other turtles for our research project. John was happy to assist and came over only two days later. Amazingly, John's incredible dogs found Bones only a couple of hours after they started looking for him! He was about 100 yards north of the lodge near the edge of the forest. John's dogs retrieved Bones as well as almost a dozen new turtles without harming a single one of them. John's dogs are champion bird hunters and are trained to have a very "soft mouth" so therefore they are very easy on the turtles.
I can't thank John enough for bringing his wonderful dogs Buster, Sparky, Greta and Pup to Earthshine to locate our resident box turtles--and especially Bones. Without John and his dogs Bones would have been lost and would not have been able to have been returned to his home and this tracking project would never have gotten off of the ground.
Thank you John and canine friends!!
I would also like to thank my friend Alan Cameron who assisted John and his dogs with finding Bones and several other box turtles while I had to work. Thank you Alan for all your help!
Here is a short movie of John's dogs in action finding box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2007.
Here is the latest movie of John and his dogs hunting for box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2008.
Thank you John for your music. If you would like to purchase any of John Mason's wonderful guitar and hammered dulcimer CD's just follow this link.
Thank you John Rucker and your special dogs for assisting us with the Turtle Tracks conservation and research project.
I can't thank John enough for bringing his wonderful dogs Buster, Sparky, Greta and Pup to Earthshine to locate our resident box turtles--and especially Bones. Without John and his dogs Bones would have been lost and would not have been able to have been returned to his home and this tracking project would never have gotten off of the ground.
Thank you John and canine friends!!
I would also like to thank my friend Alan Cameron who assisted John and his dogs with finding Bones and several other box turtles while I had to work. Thank you Alan for all your help!
Here is a short movie of John's dogs in action finding box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2007.
Here is the latest movie of John and his dogs hunting for box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2008.
Thank you John for your music. If you would like to purchase any of John Mason's wonderful guitar and hammered dulcimer CD's just follow this link.
Thank you John Rucker and your special dogs for assisting us with the Turtle Tracks conservation and research project.
I would also like to thank my friend Alan Cameron who assisted John and his dogs with finding Bones and several other box turtles while I had to work. Thank you Alan for all your help!
Here is a short movie of John's dogs in action finding box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2007.
Here is the latest movie of John and his dogs hunting for box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2008.
Thank you John for your music. If you would like to purchase any of John Mason's wonderful guitar and hammered dulcimer CD's just follow this link.
Thank you John Rucker and your special dogs for assisting us with the Turtle Tracks conservation and research project.
Here is the latest movie of John and his dogs hunting for box turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in 2008.
Thank you John for your music. If you would like to purchase any of John Mason's wonderful guitar and hammered dulcimer CD's just follow this link.
Thank you John Rucker and your special dogs for assisting us with the Turtle Tracks conservation and research project.
Thank you John Rucker and your special dogs for assisting us with the Turtle Tracks conservation and research project.
