It\u2019s a bright bluebird day at the top of the world \u2014 also known as the Telluride Ski Patrol station at the top of Chair 9 \u2014 and Mona is having a retirement party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe has been up here on the mountain since she was four months old. She put in, here on the mountain, 13 years of service,\u201d said Erik Larsen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mona is one of Telluride\u2019s avalanche dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Larsen, a member of Telluride Ski Patrol and Mona\u2019s handler, said, \u201cHer expressed purpose is, here for the general public on the ski area, in the event of an inbounds avalanche, is for her to be dispatched into the field for that search and rescue operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mona, named for former ski patroller Mona Wilcox, is a Labrador retriever with jet-black fur and a small dusting of white around her muzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A state-certified avalanche dog, Mona has helped clear scenes for events at the Telluride Ski Resort over the course of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe has been dispatched out by San Miguel County search and rescue on two events in the San Juans to go into a recovery mission,\u201d Larsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At her retirement party, Mona is snuggled on a bench in the sunshine with a sparkly disco ball collar. But Larsen noted that when the time comes, she is ready to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe best thing about her is she has a switch. She can be a calm demeanor, just hanging out at the patrol station dog. When she knows it\u2019s time to go to work, that switch flips and she goes into a completely different mentality of \u2018it\u2019s time to go to work,\u2019\u201d Larsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mona is part of a crew of avalanche dogs working on the mountain. The youngest are 2 years old; Mona is the most senior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe dogs learn from one another. They learn from mentors. They learn from the queen bee of the station. When they\u2019re young, in those first couple years, we actively put them together to facilitate that learning experience. It\u2019s amazing to see the young dogs learn from the more senior dogs,\u201d Larsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mona and Larsen are close companions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Larsen said Mona has made him a better ski patroller, and their work together is one of his proudest accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving Mona, and the companionship of Mona, in both a pet capacity and also as a working dog has honestly been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. Being able to see her and train with her, she\u2019s changed my life, and I hopefully have changed hers. It\u2019s just really special,\u201d Larsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Mona is taking a well-deserved retirement, the rest of the Telluride avalanche dogs \u2014 Stella, Sadie, Gretchen, Pika, SWE and Misty \u2014 are still on the mountain, working hard and keeping everyone safe.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mona the Avalanche Dog spent 13 years promoting safety on the Telluride Ski Resort. After a long career, she retired with a party at the top of the world.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":10450,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"news-category":[514],"news-tag":[],"class_list":["post-10449","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-featured-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n