Her idea, the inaugural Colorado Mountain Dog Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28, is "Calling All Dogs!!! It's Definitely Your Day!" and their owners to Beaver Meadows Resort at Red Feathers Lakes.
"It's designed for people to have fun and be active with their dogs all day long and enjoy that mountain environment," said Reynolds, who lives in Red Feather Lakes.
Reynolds' business, Canine Massage of the Rockies LLC, is hosting the dog festival to benefit the fire departments of Red Feather, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View, as well as KRFC, an all-volunteer radio station where she presents a weekly show about animals called "Critter Patter."
The dog festival's varied list of activities will include trail runs, hikes, Frisbee golf, lakes for dogs to take a swim and search and rescue demonstrations. Attendance at the event will be capped at 250 people.
More than 30 vendors will sell their dog-related and other products and provide information about animal welfare and community organizations.
Veterinarians will offer free health checks for dogs, and several speakers will talk on canine wellness, including physical therapy, massage and acupuncture.
"The idea is not to sit somewhere with your dog," Reynolds said. "It's to build a relationship with your dog by doing things together."
To gear up for the event, Reynolds will present "Canine Adventure and Safety in the Outdoors" programs in Fort Collins, Windsor and Wellington, sharing information about places to hike with dogs and tips on planning the trip and being safe on the trail.
The talk in Loveland was Monday at the Loveland Public Library.
"It's about encouraging people to get out there with their dogs and doing fun adventures in the mountains," Reynolds said.
During the event, dog handlers from Larimer County Search and Rescue, of which Reynolds is a member, will give demonstrations.
The handlers will talk about which types of dogs make good search dogs and how to train them, and they will present a motivational exercise on finding scent articles.
Reynolds trained Skid, 5, as a search and rescue dog to be part of the Larimer County program after donating massages through her business to dog members of the team.
She started the business in 2001 after retiring as a special education teacher in Ault and earning her certification in canine massage.
"These guys work really hard," Reynolds said, explaining that massage relieves pain, improves circulation and range of motion and clears out metabolic waste.
Impressed with what she saw during her contacts with search and rescue members, Reynolds underwent training to become part of a team, starting Skid's training when he was an 8-week-old puppy.
Currently, there are 15 dog teams in the Larimer County program, six of which are certified; the rest are in training.
"He loved it," Reynolds said. "When I put the orange vest on, he knows he's working. That's his favorite thing to do."
During a search for a missing person, the handlers present their dogs with a scent article from that person. Each dog and handler, plus a navigator, search an assigned grid, working in rows to find the scent.
"Ninety-eight percent of the areas we're sent to search, no one's in," said Reynolds, who is certified through Search and Rescue Dogs of Colorado.
If the dog detects a scent, the animal is trained to follow it and return to the handler to give an alert and take the handler to the find, Reynolds said.
"That's the main thing about search and rescue, is the drive. It's all about motivation and drive," Reynolds said.
Shelley Widhalm can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 531, or swidhalm@reporter-herald.com.
If You Go
What: Colorado Mountain Dog Festival.
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.
Where: Beaver Meadows Resort, 100 Marmot Drive, Red Feather Lakes.
Cost: $20 registration before Sept. 1, $25 after; 12 and under free; register at active.com.
Info: Go to k9massagerockies.com.
Also: Canine Adventure and Safety in the Outdoors:
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, Wellington Library.
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, Windsor Library.
6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, Fort Collins Old Town Library.
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, Fort Collins Senior Center.
What: Colorado Mountain Dog Festival.
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.
Where: Beaver Meadows Resort, 100 Marmot Drive, Red Feather Lakes.
Cost: $20 registration before Sept. 1, $25 after; 12 and under free; register at active.com.
Info: Go to k9massagerockies.com.
Also: Canine Adventure and Safety in the Outdoors:
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, Wellington Library.
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, Windsor Library.
6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, Fort Collins Old Town Library.
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, Fort Collins Senior Center.
www.reporterherald.com/news/ci_23894002/calling-all-dogs-and-people-colorado-mountain-dog
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