VERMONT SEARCH AND RESCUE K9

One trained search dog can cover an area in 6 hours that would take 106 workers 370 man-hours to comb with the same probability of detection. Large dog breeds have at least 200 million olfactory receptor cells and can detect extremely minute particles of scent under remarkably adverse conditions.  In comparison, humans have approximately 5 million olfactory receptor cells. The nasal cavity of dogs is also 4 times the size of the nasal cavity of humans. The dog’s mouth also serves as a scent receptor. A pair of sacs located above the roof of the mouth just behind the incisors called the vomeronasal organ, connects to both the nose and mouth.  It is believed that this organ enables animals to identify the chemical and/or composition of scent. This may be why dogs can detect whether a person is afraid or has been injured. This may also be why dogs can detect cancer in a person where technology has failed to detect it.  A dog’s special abilities and skills can greatly extend our capabilities and are considered an indispensable element of search and rescue around the world. 
 

The dogs selected as search and rescue dogs demonstrate a strong natural drive to hunt. It is this drive to seek out prey that makes them such a valuable resource.  A good search dog uses its instinct to stay focused on its goal over time and distance.  A search dog is basically hunting for the lost individual by locating their scent and identifying where it is most intense, until the dog follows it to the person.

Many search dogs are trained to discriminate between a specific human scent and any other human scent, ignoring the scent of other people.  These dogs stay focused on the scent of the lost person throughout the search enabling it to find anything that individual has touched. 
 

Trailing dogs are trained in this manner and remain focused on the residual scent that has been deposited on the ground where a person has walked. Trailing dogs can work either on or off lead.  Air scent dogs work off lead and are trained to locate all persons within their assigned sector. For this reason, handlers of air scent dogs seek to keep the search areas free of conflicting scent. An air scent dog will follow the human scent emanating on the air currents directly from the person. An air scent dog can locate a person long after the trail has gone cold as a result of either harsh conditions or extended time periods. Most dogs utilize both techniques at various times when working.  Both of these techniques are used in wilderness search and rescue. Air scenting techniques are exclusively used for water, avalanche, and land cadaver work. 
 

Dogs trained to find people in water have been extremely effective in finding the scent of drowned victims after the scent, in the form of vapors and gases, rises to the surface of the water.  After the location of the strongest sources of scent are identified, divers can go into the water to find and recover the body. 
 

Cadaver dogs are trained to locate recently deceased or decomposing bodies, tissue, bones, fluid, or body parts.  They are frequently used in law enforcement situations to locate victims of crime and human remains as forensic evidence. Cadaver dogs use air-scenting techniques to alert to and locate human remains.  Many wilderness air scent dogs cross train in cadaver. 
 

Technology has yet to match the capabilities that search dogs offer. People are only beginning to understand the incredible resource dogs provide to humankind.   In spite of the developments in technology, many people return to dogs as their most reliable and trusted partners. 

 Contact Information: info@vsark9.org