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Search and rescue dogs use human scent as the primary means of finding
their subjects. They also use their hearing, and vision, especially night
vision. These senses, which are far superior to a human's, thus making a
trained, dog an extremely valuable member of the SAR community. A dog
can cover a lot more ground in a lot less time than its human
counterparts. Dogs can get through terrain such as dense brush, rocky
areas, high grass and at night where it is difficult for humans to
negotiate such places.
Every
person gives off scent (think of Pigpen from the comic strip Snoopy), no
matter how clean they may be. Scent is made up of a variety of
substances, including microscopic flakes of skin, (called rafts) skin
oils, hair and hair oils, perspiration, and other factors, such as
exposure to certain scents over an extended time, like cigarettes,
perfumes, deodorant, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc. Rafts are shed and
discarded from the human at a rate of about 40,000 per minute. It is
also thought that emotions, such as fear or panic, may also affect a
person's scent. Every person has their own scent and some dogs are
trained to be scent specific while others are trained to locate any human
scent.
To
train a SAR dog fully it takes about two years to get the dog out and
about and exposed to all kinds of scenarios and to solidify the bond
between dog and handler. The partnership between them is one of trust.
There is the time to socialize the dog to people, children, other
animals, crowds etc, obedience is essential and the dog must display good
manners and be under control at all times. At a search scene – the dog
is in they eyes of the public and they must be portrayed as a well
trained, sociable animal. Also at a search scene, you may not be
available to exercise the dog or water him and someone else will have to
do it. The dog needs to accept strangers coming to his crate and taking
him out to do his business or tend to his needs. Dogs with poor
obedience backgrounds have limited value as search dogs since they have a
stopping point and will not work beyond it. The obedient dog will go the
extra distance because you have asked it and is usually more successful.
There is the agility aspect of search work that some of the easy things
can be started when a dog is young but you can’t put a lot of stress on a
puppy’s bones until after the growing has stabilized. You will do damage
to them if you push them. Agility comes in very handy for going though
culverts or drainage pipes, over unstable surfaces, walking on narrow
boards and most of all stopping when told to. This can save a dog from
serious injury or worse.
It is
the handler’s job to know the theory of scent – getting to the source of
the scent is the dog’s area of expertise. Dogs can do this either by air
scenting, tracking or trailing. The scent theory must be studied and
understood what scent it is believed the dog is responding to and the
effect wind and terrain have on scent movement. Scent is affected by a
myriad of things such as time of day, temperature, wind, humidity, ground
or water temperature. These are the factors that we need to study to
know if scent is looping, chimneying, eddying, pooling etc. This way we
as handlers can understand the scent picture and we can help the K9.
When a dog gets into a scent cone, it is unmistakable to a handler in
tune with their dog – the body changes, the pace changes, the breathing
changes. All need to be watched in order to read your dog properly.
Air Scenting Dogs or Area Search Dogs is based on the concept of the
military “scout” dog and works in a similar manner. It alerts to the
handler to the presence of another individual and then must lead the
handler to that individual. That is to say air scenting dogs are trained
to find any human scent. Human scent travels in the wind. Air Scenting
dogs do not require a scent article, it does not require tracks, the area
does not have to be kept completely free of all other searchers and no
starting point is required. Air Scenting dogs are used to cover a lot of
ground in minimum time. If interest is shown then it is pursued. Air
scenting dogs usually work a grid pattern and range back and forth trying
to encounter any human scent. Once they hit the scent cone of a person,
they then hone in on the source of the scent. When the dog finds the
subject – he must let the handler know by a trained alert whether it be a
bark alert or a recall-refind. This is where the dog comes back to the
handler and then re-finds the subject with the handler. The handler and
dog then bring the victim to safety or radio for help from other rescue
and medical personnel to treat and evacuate the victim.
Tracking Dogs are trained to follow the path of a certain person.
That is to say they are scent specific. The dog physically tracks the
path of the person without relying on air scenting. These dogs are
guided crushed foliage, vegetation and disturbed soil caused by a persons
footsteps. Tracking dogs follow the direct path taken by the subject.
They work with their heads down sniffing the ground. The dog is worked on
lead with the handler following behind. Tracking dogs can follow the
scent left on the path and surrounding foliage by the victim. By
following the victim's direct path, the tracking dog follows the victim's
exact footsteps.
Trailing Dogs are trained to follow a specific person by following
the rafts cast off by that person as they travel. Rafts are heavier than
air particles which contain the persons scent and will normally be close
to the ground, which may or may not be the path the person took because
of factors affecting the dispersal of scent such as wind and
temperature. The trailing dog will work with its nose to the ground –
and air scent as well. Dogs are usually worked in a harness and lead and
given an uncontaminated scent article (such as a piece of clothing) to
start trailing that specific individual. The dog is then started at the
point where the missing person was last seen. The scent of others should
not affect his work. He should be able to trail on variable surfaces
(pavements, streets, grass, water, etc.) Trailing dogs will follow the
route of scent deposited on the ground as a person moves through an area.
The trailing dog may work parallel to the path the individual actually
walked. A trained trailing dog can follow the path of someone who passed
by days earlier, discriminate between it and another's trail, and follow
it over hills and through marshland. Dogs have been known to even trail
people in cars, from the scent that blows out of the window or through
the vents of the car.
Cadaver/Human Remains Detection/Forensics Dogs
Unfortunately, not everyone survives until they are found, or may be
victims of illness, accident, or foul play. It is a school of thought
that wilderness dogs should be expected to indicate on live or dead
subjects since you don’t know what you are looking for when you start
your search.. Cadaver Dogs are trained to locate human remains on by 'Air
Scenting'. They are also trained to find buried remains as well. Just as
finding a deceased person can be stressful to a searcher, it can be the
same for dogs. HRD dogs require careful, controlled training to do their
job and it must be fun for the dog at all costs or the dog will shut down
on you.
Dogs
are trained to detect the scent of only human remains. Even persons
buried under dirt or under water give off scent. Cadaver dogs are often
used by law enforcement to find recently dead people, or to collect
evidence found in an area. Others find drowning subjects.
Forensic Cadaver dogs are trained to locate buried bodies, bone, body
fluids, small pieces of tissue and blood. This kind of training is
applied in criminal or missing person cases where body parts may be not
all in the same area or in disaster situations where human remains may be
under debris.
So to
wrap this up – a K9 handler has to think about scent theory, figure out
the search pattern to get the best from their dog, be able to read the
dog and all of the other stuff. Handlers usually go out with what is
called a flanker or two – someone, who can keep track of some of the
radio contact, map, compass etc. so the handler does not lose sight of
what their dog smells. The handler is a partner to the dog so they may
not talk too much to the flankers because of trying to read their K9
partner. The dog is a valuable tool in the search and rescue toolbox –
it needs to be used properly and with care just as all the other tools
that we have.
Linda
Murphy 9/23/03 |
