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Trainer works with rare Italian breed
of dog that tracks down truffles
February 8, 2010 - knoxnews.com
WALLAND - During the 1990s, Jim Sanford traveled the world training
elephants, first at the Perth Zoo in western Australia, and then at a
casino in Reno, Nev., where he and his pachyderms performed two shows a
night.
Sanford was hired in 1997 to work with African elephants at the
Knoxville Zoo. Two years later, he switched careers to become a fly
fishing guide at Blackberry Farm, a 4,200-acre luxury inn and working
farm in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
Sanford was managing Blackberry Farm's horseback riding program in 2007
when the owners put him in charge of two dogs that had arrived from
northern Italy. The dogs had been trained to hunt for truffles. Sanford
knew very little about truffles and even less about the Lagotto
Romagnolo, the breed of dog that would become the focus of his new job.
"I literally had to Google the breed," Sanford said.
Three years later, Blackberry Farm has 21 Lagottos - six adults and 15
puppies. They hunt for truffles - rare and delicious fungi that sprout
underground on the roots of specific trees - that grow in an orchard in
Chuckey, Tenn.
The current market value for European black truffles is $900 per pound.
Blackberry Farm uses truffles and truffle oil in a variety of recipes
prepared in the inn's award-winning kitchen.
Last winter, three of Blackberry Farm's truffle dogs named Tom, Lussi
and Rolla located 200 pounds, making them in all likelihood the most
accomplished truffle dogs in North America.
"The Lagotto is an ancient breed that has been used as a water
retriever since the 16th century," Sanford said. "They don't have any
special affinity for truffles, just an acute sense of smell and a
natural instinct for fetching. Any dog with a good nose can find
truffles, but this is the only breed exclusively used for that purpose."
In 2009, Blackberry Farm sent Sanford to a Lagotto breeder outside of
Milan, Italy, to pick up more dogs to enhance the resort's breeding
program. He returned with an adult female and two young males.
On Jan. 15, Lussi had eight puppies, and five days later, Lea, the new
female, had a litter of seven. Like a nervous father, Sanford stayed
with both mothers around the clock. A visit last month to Blackberry
Farm found both litters to be in excellent shape. At 11 days old,
Lussi's pups were fat as footballs, their hair showing early
indications of the thick, curly coat that is the breed's trademark.
Lagotto pups sell for around $3,000 in the U.S. Sanford said all 15
pups from both litters already have been sold to people who were
introduced to the breed at Blackberry Farm.
"Guests here fall in love with them," Sanford said. "When you show them
a puppy, it's all over."
Blackberry Farm has taken steps to propagate its own source of black
truffles by planting 150 hazelnut trees in a small field next to the
vegetable garden. Officials at the inn say it will likely take another
five years before the spores mature and the truffles are ready to
harvest.
Meanwhile, Sanford took from the refrigerator a dried truffle packed in
rice. Similar in appearance to a black walnut, the truffle had an
earthy, pungent aroma that was curiously appetizing.
"If this was fresh, the smell would fill the whole room," Sanford said.
Sanford took the truffle outside and buried it beneath some mulch. He
then let Tom, the father of all 15 new pups, out of the truck and gave
him the command to "work," spoken in Italian. Tom's nose was sweeping
the ground, and in short order, he started to dig over the exact spot
where Sanford had buried the truffle.
Sanford said he would be flying out the next day to teach a two-day
training seminar at the Oregon Truffle Festival and that Tom would be
going with him.
"In the beginning, I was reluctant to be an animal trainer because I
didn't think I had the patience," he said. "Animals have taught me more
than I've taught them. They live in the moment. They don't carry around
as much baggage as humans. I think they're more honest."
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