The Beagle Dakota, Real Life Pet Detective

Pet detectives Vicky Vaughan, Mario Audet and dog Dakota get ready to search for two missing cats in Fall River. The two-year-old beagle has been specially trained to sniff out cats. (Peter Parsons / Staff)
So cute he rescues lost kitties!

Pet Detective When kitty goes missing, who you gonna call? . . .
By CHRIS LAMBIE Staff Reporter

THIS IS ONE detective story where cheese is definitely encouraged.
That’s how Vicky Vaughan, a private pet detective based in Dartmouth, rewards her beagle, Dakota, when he helps solve cases of missing cats.
She’s trained Dakota to find felines by imprinting them on his memory with a treat every time he sniffs one out.

"A piece of cheese works very well with him," Ms. Vaughan said. "He’s a brilliant dog."

Dakota will usually wag his tail and lead his mistress to where cats are hiding, she said.
"Then we can just fish the cat out," she said. "I’ve never met the cat that says, ‘Oh great, here’s the search dog, I’m finally saved.’ What they’ll do is sometimes they’ll slip away and I don’t want to get into a chase situation. So I’ll set up a humane trap where that scent was, so when we leave the area, the cat typically will come back to where he or she was comfortable."

Gail Sheppard employed her services to find Saba after the marmalade cat had been missing for about 48 hours.
"Our neighbours were thinking we were crazy because we had a woman with a big vest and jacket on and a dog on a leash looking and sniffing all around," said Ms. Sheppard, who lives in Timberlea.
"So we got a lot of attention."
Ms. Vaughan and Dakota found Saba, who normally stayed indoors, under a porch a few doors down.

"I have an 80 per cent success rate. So 20 per cent of them I just cannot find. There’s times when I felt so close, yet so far. That can be really hard on you."
Veterinarians and animal shelters are starting to recommend her services.
"People come in just mesmerized," she said. "Sometimes, within just a few minutes, we can locate the cat and they just think we’re amazing."
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