A Decade on the Mountain: Celebrating Team Momentum's Trigger

For ten years, Trigger was the first one ready when the mountain called.

This Silver Lab from Beaver Creek, Colorado spent her career doing some of the most demanding work a dog can do, serving as a certified avalanche rescue canine with the Beaver Creek Ski Patrol. Alongside her human teammate, Daniel Eldridge, she trained relentlessly and deployed when it mattered most, helping locate snow recreationists buried in avalanches both inside and outside resort boundaries.

Trigger earned her certification with Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD), and her resume includes something few dogs can claim: flights in Airbus AS350 B3e helicopters and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks. For training exercises and real avalanche deployments alike, Trigger was always ready, often resting calmly in Daniel's lap on the flight out, conserving her energy for the moment she'd be needed most.

"She seems to understand that she's on her way to work," Daniel says. "That level of trust, awareness, and partnership is what makes Trigger so special to me."

Now 12 years old and retired after a decade of service, Trigger has traded avalanche sites for river parks and she wouldn't have it any other way. These days, she spends her time playing fetch in the water with Daniel, a joint-friendly way to keep doing what she's always loved. Her internal clock still runs like clockwork, too, letting Daniel know exactly when breakfast and dinner are due, even with alarms set.

Throughout her working years, nutrition was never an afterthought. Keeping an avalanche rescue dog performing at the highest level requires a diet that can keep up, and Dr. Tim's Active Pursuit formula gave Trigger exactly what she needed, without the need for extra supplements. Now in retirement, she's transitioned seamlessly to Dr. Tim's Kinesis Senior formula, tailored to support her changing activity level and joint health.

"Having the ability to adjust her food as her lifestyle has changed has been invaluable," Daniel shares. "She loves her Dr. Tim's: her digestion improved noticeably after switching, and she's doing great."

Trigger began her journey with Dr. Tim's during her working years, and she remains a proud member of Team Momentum today, a testament to a career defined by courage, trust, and an unbreakable bond between dog and handler.

We're honored to have been part of her journey, and we can't wait to see what Trigger's well-earned retirement has in store.