Richard and Brittany have been working together now since June of 2021. Richard formally formed Emergency Rescue Consultancy in 2019, but has been trapping dogs for over 30 years and is the best of the best in this area. Unknown to Brittany at the time, Richard had made a post asking for someone to step up to learn how to rescue dogs using humane traps. The two of them met after a friend of Brittany’s found an injured dog and Brittany posted to her on Leigh’s looking for owners. Richard saw her post and contacted her to offer advice and Brittany told him that she would like to go on a trap sometime with him if he ever needed any help. He tagged her in the post that he had made asking for someone to train and that is where their journey together began.
 

What they do: When a dog goes missing, and/or is out for a period of time, the dog goes into survival mode (or feral mode). Most people have heard of feral cats, and feral dogs are much the same. They want nothing to do with humans, not even their owners, and won’t get close enough to anyone to be caught. Richard and Brittany are usually called in after numerous attempts have been made to catch or trap a dog, with each failed attempt making it more difficult for a successful recovery. It takes time, skill, understanding of survival mode and how dogs think, dedication, perseverance, the right equipment, and LOTS of patience to be successful.

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Some of their past cases/stats: Emergency Rescue Consultancy has taken on cases that took mere seconds after the trap was set up, and cases that have taken as long as 11 months to recover the dog. They have worked in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and most of Missouri. Their farthest away case was this last year in Breckenridge, MO which is about 3 and a half hours away where we caught 2 dogs, a Great Pyrenees and an Anatolian/Pyrenees mix both in the trap together. Sometimes dogs travel great distances also, and in July this year they caught a dog in Cabool, that had first been seen in Licking (40 miles from Cabool). They have worked with many of the rescues, Animal Control Officers, and lost pet owners in this area.

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Looking Forward: One thing that they have wanted to be able to do also is to track, or trail lost dogs with a dog trained to do this type of work. Brittany recently enrolled to become a certified lost pet recovery professional under the Missing Animal Response Network lead by Kat Albrecth to train a dog to track the scent of a missing dog. The training takes 12 to 18 months to train the right dog, and they are beginning their search for the right dog to train now.

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Their job isn’t glamorous, they miss a lot of meals, have had countless sleepless nights, and after almost every case, they have numerous bug bites and ticks on then, but the dogs deserve the chance to be loved, and that’s why they continue on. The moment that a dog realizes they are safe after being trapped is truly something magical and makes all the rest worth it.

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QUOTE FROM 2021 HAMAKER WINNER – KIMBRA KERN:

"Richard Morrison and Brittany Scherff with Emergency Rescue Consultancy volunteer endless hours, day and night, live trapping dogs who otherwise would have little or no hope for survival. These two have been the life line of rescue with their expertise on catching the uncatchable and giving them a chance to a new life. They literally work the trenches when it comes to locations they need to set up traps, enduring all kinds of weather, collaborating with multiple people and are available almost 24/7. Setting up the traps and the feeding stations in and of itself is time consuming as well as coordinating their efforts to ensure the dog’s safety and success. Their primary philosophy is “No dog left behind”. When others have given up hope, Brittany and Richard have demonstrated tenacity, determination and stop at nothing to get the job done. These are two heroes in rescue who have deserved recognition for years!" -Kimbra Kern