The labrador-mix leaves behind his Fall River shelter days for training in the Gifted Animal Program, thanks in part to donations made for his flight to Texas.

08:05 AM EST on Thursday, March 25, 2004

BY JESSICA RESNICK-AULT
Journal Staff Writer

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman Taz, a Labrador mix who has been at the Faxon Animal Rescue League shelter in Fall River since July, leaves today for Texas, where he will be trained to search for explosives.

FALL RIVER -- Taz is more than an average mutt: shelter workers say he's smart, dedicated, and intuitive. Now, they also say he may be a trend-setter.

When the labrador-mix boards a plane at T.F. Green Airport for boot camp in Texas today, he may be marking the territory for other unadopted animals.

Taz arrived at Faxon Animal Rescue League in Fall River on July 2, 2003, and remained there, unwanted because of his high energy.

Although nine months is an unusually long tenure at the shelter, executive director Melinda Lubetz said three-year-old Taz has held up well under the strain of living in a kennel.

Taz kept up his energy, and shelter manager Corinne Bowman said she worked him daily, making sure his mind was kept sharp. Bowman decided Taz needed a job, rather than adoption by a family. After evaluation, Taz was accepted on March 9 to the Gifted Animal Program in Fort Worth, Texas.

The GAP trains dogs for everything from assisting the disabled to sniffing for bombs. Recently, two other Labrador mixes that completed the program were sent to Afghanistan to search for bombs with the U.S. military.

A similar occupation might be appropriate for Taz, Lubetz said.

For Taz, getting into the program was a breeze: He had good recommendations from K-9 officers in the Dighton and Fall River police departments, which Bowman had consulted with.

Actually getting to Texas to train in the program was a challenge.

A one-way airline ticket from Providence to Fort Worth, Texas, on Northwest airlines is advertised at $999 per person. For dogs, there's a better deal.

Taz's fare was $387, plus $150 for traveling accoutrements including a crate and food and water dishes.

Still, those expenses were a lot for the shelter to take on.

White cardboard boxes in the shelter and adjacent clinic asked for donations to the "Taz Fund." An attached poster read: "Taz is leaving on a jet plane, and he needs your help!"

By Sunday, $200 had come into the fund.

Last weekend, Taz barked his way into people's hearts: There was a story in The Journal, followed by television segments, and articles in local papers. In response, the shelter raised nearly $300 more.

"I was rooting for Taz to make it," one reader wrote. "It's great that a shelter dog gets a second chance," another said.

As the funds came in, Lubetz and the board at Faxon decided to set up the "Rover Fund." The money will pay to send dogs like Taz to training programs, and enable them to live fulfilling lives outside of a shelter.

Donations to the Rover Fund or to Faxon Animal Rescue League can be sent to the League at 474 Durfee St., Fall River, MA, 02720. For more information about the shelter, call (508) 676-1061.