The BC Conservation Officer Service lost one of its own over the weekend.
Boomer, a Blue Tick Walker cross, who served the BCCOS for over a decade as a tracking dog, passed away peacefully at the age of 15.
He started working with conservation officer Kevin Van Damme at just two years of age and they worked together for over a decade before Boomer’s retirement in 2019.
Van Damme told NowMedia that his partner was a brave dog who twice helped save his partners from cougar attacks.
That includes an incident in late 2013 that was covered by Macleans, where Boomer sprung into action in an effort to save another tracking dog, Bust, from a cougar.
"Bust and another hound named Boomer were dispatched to a call outside Kamloops, where a wounded, bloody cougar was preying on pets," the article explained.
“When the dogs eventually homed in on the cat, it was too injured to climb a tree. Instead, it turned and lashed out, pinning Bust’s head to the ground and taking a giant bite of his head."
Unfortunately, Bust suffered fatal injuries during the ordeal and it left Boomer with head injuries and major trauma as well, but he recovered and spent many more years serving the BCCOS.
Boomer mainly worked in the BC Interior, but certain jobs took him and Van Damme all over the province throughout their careers together.
After retirement, Boomer settled at an Okanagan ranch where he worked and lived with a number of other cougar hounds.
Van Damme explained that Boomer was an amazing mentor for the other dogs there, including one who had a number of issues.
Although a senior dog at that point, Van Damme said that Boomer had “a young dog mindset,” which helped this particular young dog get through his issues and become a successful tracker.
Inseparable during their career together, Van Damme didn’t see nearly as much of Boomer after his retirement, but he did get to spend those final days with his friend and partner.
He picked the dog up and they had a weekend full of treats together, which he told NowMedia was a very special way of getting to say goodbye.
There were plenty of smiles, reflection and memories shared between Van Damme and other conservation officers over the weekend, as he certainly wasn’t the only one who Boomer had an overwhelmingly positive impact on.
