Sit Happens Training and Footloose Montana Present Trap Release Workshop

By PAM VOTH

The newest news for Missoula dogs and their people is that the GoFetch Training Gym and Agility Center has a new owner and a new name.

Introducing SIT Happens Training Center and new owner, Sarah Spencer Hall. Sarah was the head trainer for the GoFetch facility and purchased the business just last month. She’s excited to continue to bring top quality training and agility classes to Missoula’s dogs and their people. After all, it’s usually we people who need the real training, right?

I’ll be checking in with SIT Happens Puppy Playground classes soon and sharing some adorable photos of the little guys in an upcoming blog, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about an important Trap Release workshop being presented at SIT Happens by Footloose Montana. Join them this Saturday, March 23 from 1-3pm, to learn important and life-saving techniques and hands on practice for releasing a pet from a trap. There will also be tips from a veterinarian on providing emergency first aid to a trapped pet. There is no cost for the workshop, but donations to Footloose Montana, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization are accepted. If you plan to attend, do not bring your dog, but do bring a chair if possible.

Woman wearing Footloose Montana t shirt give her dog a belly rub on grassy lawnSIT Happens is located at 3800 Russell Square, at 39th and Russell, in the same complex as Alberstons.

If you’re like me, the very thought of any animal – especially a pet – getting caught in a trap is horrifying. It makes my stomach turn. I’d really like to just bury my head and pretend the possibility doesn’t exist. But that would be stupid. Because, the reality is that there are more and more tragic stories of pet owners throughout Montana whose pets have encountered traps. Preparing and educating yourself about how to deal with the possibility could mean the difference between life and death for your pet. Consider this workshop as important as brushing up on your CPR training. You never know when your knowledge will help save a life.

I’ve attended a similar workshop in the past and I’ve got to tell you, it is seriously difficult to get those traps open, even when you do know how and it’s not an emergency. I’ll be there and I’ll be trying to get one of those things open. Race ya.

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If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy Pam’s other Dogtown Missoula posts including Soup & Fiddlesticks, Cheeto Moment, and Ben Afraid of Thunder. Or visit the Dogtown Missoula archive for more four-legged tales.

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It has been said, “There are dog people, and then there are people like photographer Pam Voth.” While Voth has a knack for creating unique images of any subject, her distinct rapport with Dog is expressed through direct and personal portraits that capture the authentic nature of canine and human interaction—or in her own words, “pure dog-ness.” Pam Voth has developed an artful style for photographing dogs so intimately that you can almost smell the biscuits on their breath.