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Meet Colter - WDFW's Newest Addition

Rocky & Mishka at training in 2004

Cash & Mishka hard at work on a bear

Mishka finding elk remains on the Peninsula.

Rocky Spencer, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Biologist, introduced the use of Karelian Bear Dogs in this agency with the use of Mishka in 2003.  Rocky was tragically killed while net-gunning bighorn sheep from a helicopter in September of 2007. After Rocky’s passing, a memorial fund was established to fund the care and maintenance associated with Mishka so that his contributions of managing problem wildlife would continue.

Recognizing an opportunity to implement and evaluate cutting edge technology in non-lethal wildlife control techniques, WDFW Enforcement Chief Bruce Bjork, seized the opportunity to experiment and evaluate the benefits of a KBD within the Enforcement Program.  He initiated a 1-year KBD pilot program to evaluate the potential benefits of a KBD program in resolving conflicts between humans and black bears in Washington. WDFW Officer Bruce Richards was assigned to be Mishka’s handler during the pilot and tasked with responding to and resolving as many problem bear complaints as possible.

During the pilot project, Officer Richards and Mishka proved themselves to be a valuable asset to the WDFW Enforcement Program as they responded to dozens of problem bear complaints in Western Washington, education programs at schools & fairs, and media interviews on a statewide basis.  Officer Richards engaged Mishka in numerous on site “hard releases” (a non-lethal process that reinstalls a black bear’s natural fear of humans) that for a number of reasons is much-preferred to lethal removal or capture and relocation.  Officer Richards estimates an 80% success rate on the black bear he hard released this past spring and summer. 

In addition to tracking and locating bear and assisting in hard releases, KBDs can also be trained to detect items (fish, birds, shell casings, etc.) of evidentiary value.  Mishka has been trained to detect all dead animals and animal scat.  On one occasion, Mishka was called to help Wildlife Officer Brian Alexander and the National Park Service Officers to locate the remains of an illegally harvested and butchered elk in a remote location in the Olympic National Park.  Park Rangers and WDFW Officers had unsuccessfully expended over 600 man-hours of time and effort searching for remains before asking for and securing help from Officer Richards and Mishka.  Within 15 minutes of their arrival at the scene, Mishka located several elk bone fragments that had knife marks on them and enough tissue to perform DNA testing.

Mishka also helped other law enforcement officers at the scene of a homicide in Grays Harbor County. The police department wanted Mishka on scene to keep any bear away while their cadaver dogs searched the area.

Mishka is a great wildlife service dog, but he is even more effective at educating the public about wildlife and opening people’s hearts and minds to learning how to live with bears and cougars.  In the past year and a half that Officer Richards has been Mishka’s handler, Mishka has interacted with 4,000 – 5,000 people in an educational context in Washington State.  These contacts are made almost everywhere Bruce and Mishka go including such places as fairs, classrooms, campgrounds, youth expos, and at people’s homes.  In addition, 800,000 plus people through media appearances have heard Mishka and Bruce’s message.