Wind River Canine Partners

06/13/2026

Fannie decided she wanted a fresh look...and by "fresh," we mean "freshly-mowed grass."
😂
It's all the rage this season!

06/09/2026

Another great article on our Conservation K9 Blue at Grand Canyon National Park!
She's only been on duty a month and already making a difference

Each year, there are dangerous encounters between Grand Canyon visitors and wildlife, like elk. So the park created a new program to reduce these interactions, with the introduction of their newest employee, Blue the Catahoula dog.

06/06/2026

Took advantage of our nice day amidst all the rain for a great pack walk! The pastures are pretty flooded right now, which means all the dogs had a BLAST.
Featured: Caledonia, Finn, and Abby
Future Service Puppy Henry the Golden
Staff dogs Jarvis, Wally, Cheddar, and Eve!

06/04/2026

Baby Henry, a future service dog, was a very sweet addition to our all-staff meeting 😍🥰

05/29/2026

Here's our Blue girl! Officially at work in GCNP!

Meet Blue! 🐾

Thanks to support from Grand Canyon Conservancy, Grand Canyon National Park is welcoming a new four-legged member to the wildlife management team. “Blue,” a trained Conservation K-9, is helping wildlife staff reduce human-wildlife conflicts in busy areas of the South Rim.

Blue is a certified Catahoula Leopard Hound trained to safely haze habituated elk and bighorn sheep away from developed areas where close interactions with visitors can become dangerous for both people and wildlife. Using barking and herding pressure — while always leashed and under handler control — Blue helps encourage wildlife to return to more natural habitat and behavior.

Blue officially began field operations on May 18 and will primarily work in high visitor-use areas including the El Tovar Complex, Grand Canyon Visitor Center, Maswik Lodge, Mather Campground services area, and the Grand Canyon School.

This new Conservation K-9 Pilot Project is part of a science-based effort to improve visitor safety, reduce wildlife conflicts, and help keep wildlife wild.

Learn more about Blue and Conservation K9 Program here: www.nps.gov/articles/000/conservation-k9-blue.htm

📷 NPS Photo

05/20/2026

Activities on new surfaces, unstable surfaces, things that require balance and coordination are all fantastic things to do with young dogs to build their confidence and increase their body awareness. Daycare + Train student Rocky is getting a big dose at one of our local playgrounds! They are not just for human kids 😁

05/14/2026

Get ready for some REALLY COOL NEWS from our National Parks!
Conservation K9 BLUE has finished her final training up here with us and is officially reporting for duty on May 15th.
Blue is a key tool in the Integrative Ungulate Management program being pioneered in Grand Canyon National Park. Based on the incredibly successful techniques of our sister organization, the Wind River Bear Institute and in Glacier National Park, Blue will be used to help teach habituated elk to stay away from High Use Visitor Areas, as well as to help educate visitors about wildlife safety. In conjunction with her handler, wildlife biologist Brady Dunne and his team of technicians, Blue hopes to reduce human-wildlife conflict in the park and help keep wildlife wild.
We are SO proud of her and her handler and are excited to see what the coming years bring!

Learn More Here:
https://www.grandcanyon.org/protect-grand-canyon/projects/conservation-k-9-program

05/13/2026

It's getting warmer, and you know what that means! More playtime, more walks, and THE POOLS ARE OUT!
Do you have a dog that likes water? Swimming, chasing the hose or sprinklers? Show us in the comments!

04/14/2026

One of our daycare groups enjoying some fun in the sun!

03/13/2026

OK guys...we're doing something we've never done before!

We're offering Foundation (Beginner) **Group** Training classes to everyone!
In the past, we have only offered group classes to graduates of our foundation program as a form of continuing education.

We will be offering Foundation Group Classes on Sundays, starting April 12th, from 3:30-4:30PM over at Legion Baseball Fields in Florence.

First class is $30, all classes after that are $20.

We will cycle through our Foundation curriculum every 4-5 weeks, so if you miss a class, no big deal! Just jump in when you can.

Once you've mastered each element of our Foundation Curriculum, your instructor will invite you to join our intermediate and advanced classes - things like CGC, Nosework, Trick Dog, and our bimonthly drop-ins!

Scan the QR code in the poster or visit: windriverkennels.com/events to view our full course schedule and sign up for class. Hope to see you there!