By River Stingray, Aspen Times
For Louise Zemlicka, she knew right away that Benji was going to be Aspen Snowmass’ newest patrol recruit and future avalanche dog.
“There’s just something about Benji,” Zemlicka said of the first time she saw him at the breeder’s, sporting a green collar. “He kept coming back to me. I just had this connection with this dog.”
Now, 12-week-old field golden retriever Benji is already deep in his training to join Zemlicka, originally from Sweden, on the slopes of Snowmass with ski patrol. Zemlicka told The Aspen Times that after 10 years training horses for police, she moved to Aspen and joined ski patrol because of the opportunity to be part of the on-mountain canine program.
“I knew that I loved training animals, and I knew that I loved doing something that matters,” Zemlicka said. “This summer, my boss asked me if I was ready.”
Zemlicka said she did extensive research to find a breeder with a good reputation and healthy puppies. She ultimately chose the same breeder that provided Buttermilk with its ski patrol dog, Ruby.
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