Bradley, a 10-month-old English cream golden retriever from southern California, is rocking the cuteness scale.
The furry fellow is the Santa Barbara Zoo’s first-ever canine animal ambassador. His duty “is to connect with zoo guests so they can understand and care about all animals, especially those in the wild.”
He was born May 12, 2018, and lived with a family in Northridge, California. A family member’s unexpected medical development made it difficult for them to care for a puppy, and the zoo adopted Bradley when he was 9 months old.
Bradley lives at the zoo. He sleeps in a heated office and has access to a patio. Security guards check on him several times during the night, said senior mammal keeper Kristen Wieners.
The canine also has a fenced exercise and off-leash play area across from the “Cats of Africa” exhibit on Cabrillo Lawn at the zoo.
On Tuesday afternoon, a handful of children and adults viewed the playful pooch as he rolled in the grass and pose for pictures. He wore a little red official “in-training” vest.
“He is definitely a people dog,” Wieners said. “He is a goofy, fun-loving puppy, and I don’t think that’s going to change with age.”
Bradley is learning several basic foundation behaviors and skills that ready him for comfortable interaction with guests, crowds and his surroundings.
“We are hoping that he will do meet-and-greets with the public and interact,” Wieners said, mentioning that Bradley is rewarded for good behaviors and following instructions, and ignored or redirected for negative behaviors. “He has a little bit more rules than say your dog at home.”
A professional dog trainer is working with Bradley most days and is training zoo staff to handle him, too.
Bradley is young, so his training is going at his pace, said Julie Barnes, vice president for animal health and care at the zoo.
He will eventually participate in the zoo’s keeper talks on subjects like responsible pet choices and using positive reinforcement in training. The canine may be involved in the education programs at the zoo’s children camps.
“We are hoping to be a resource for domestic animals as well as exotic,” said J.J. McLeod, the zoo’s education manager, mentioning that the zoo became autism-certified last year. “There’s a clear connection between animals and children with special needs.
“It’s exciting from the education standpoint because this is our first big involvement with bringing an ambassador animal on-site because we are hoping to incorporate it in our summer camps with our children,” she continued. “We can teach them what it takes to have a dog at home… responsibilities, and maybe have them participate in those training aspects.”
Bradley also might provide outreach to local schools, retirement homes, hospitals and community events, but it depends on his training.
The dog is sponsored by a local family that wishes to remain anonymous and is recognized at the zoo as “Jackson and Alaia.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
