I Was a Middle-Aged Cadaver
While cruising several forums related to hiking and geocaching recently, I came across a message asking for volunteers to help with an upcoming seminar. After reading more details about the event, I decided this would be an interesting thing to do and responded to the call. The next day I received a message that indicated that I was "in" and they looked forward to seeing me soon. The requirements for a volunteer sounded interesting: have and know how to use a GPS receiver, have all-weather hiking gear, and be able to assume the role of a cadaver (i.e., play dead). Yeah, it made me curious too.
The skies were dark and several rain drops splattered on the windshield as I pulled into Camp Andrel about 7:30 in the morning. Camp Andrel is a Girl Scout camp located outside of Rogersville, Alabama along the banks of the Elk River. The camp was teeming with activity already. There were SUVs and 4WDs; men and women dressed in outdoor apparel ranging from hunting to hiking gear; and dogs. There were as many dogs as people. However, these were not ordinary dogs. These were Search and Rescue dogs, abbreviated as SAR K9. These folks and animals had gathered for the 2008 Airscent Seminar.
What is airscent? Airscent usually refers to search dogs that use
airscenting techniques to search areas. Airscent dogs will ignore ground scent and will follow and locate people by catching the "hot" scent of people on the wind. Airscenting techniques are very effective for covering large areas quickly and can produce high probabilities of detection if conditions are good for airscenting. Some airscenting dogs are also trained to scent discriminate, meaning they can be pre-scented on an article from the missing persons and pick this person from others in the search area. These dogs are often called wilderness or area search dogs. Most are trained to find the victim, alert the handler when the victim has been found, and return the handler to the victim.
It was becoming clear to me that I was a "victim." In order to train the dogs (and handlers), volunteers are needed to get lost and sometimes play dead in the wilderness. I was introduced to the head trainer, Denver from North Carolina, and put on a team that involved the advanced dogs. We drove to the training area, which was a 400 acre farm, and I was instructed to leave my car unlocked. At this point, I had not seen any of the dogs yet, but that time was coming. The dogs would be allowed to smell inside my car to get what is known as a "scent article" (i.e., my signature stinky body odor).
For my first scenario, I was dropped off on a road and told to walk a tree line in a gully for about 200 yards. I was then to turn left at the fence and walk about 300 yards to the top of the hill along another treeline. I was to hide among the brush/trees and play dead. No problem. I proceeded to the target area and wondered how long I would be here. I was told to bring a book or something to do. Instead, I chose to savor the solitude by lying down on my pack and watching the storm clouds blow overhead. Fortunately, it was not raining yet and I found myself admiring the wind and the trees. At that moment, in that place, I found peace, joy, and contentment.
After nodding off a time or two, I awoke to the sound of a dog barking far in the distance. I opened my eyes and saw a black retriever on a hill that was about a 1/2 mile from my location. For some reason, I assumed this dog was going after the other volunteer. I watched the dog track back and forth for a few seconds and then it bolted down the hill with speed that I couldn't believe. I lost him in the gully and wondered where he was going. In a few minutes, I started to hear something that resembled a cow bell. I realized that the bell was on the dog, named Jake, and he was making his way up the hill towards my location. Time to play dead. Jake saw me and came straight to my face and proceeded to give my head a bath with his tongue. Since I was dead, Jake tried his best to get me to respond. At one point, he opened his jaw and gently closed on my nose, but that didn't evoke a response so he started barking. The handler came and retrieved him. The reward for Jake? A toy that squeaked. Game over. Unfortunately, Jake didn't do what he was supposed to do. After finding me, he was supposed to return to the trainer or alert the trainer. Jake chose to lick me for a few minutes before notifying his trainer.
For my second scenario, I walked across the field and planted myself under a huge cedar tree. They would switch dogs and go after the other volunteer first. It started to gently rain and I chose not to do anything as I waited. Almost 2 hours later and after some good sleeping, I heard a cow bell again. This was Rudy, a German Shepherd. I heard him go back and forth for several minutes down below me. Later, I was told my scent had drifted downhill and was hanging in the trees, which confused the dog. Rudy finally got wind of me and came to my tree. Once he found me, he returned to his owner and then he returned to me again. He kept of this cyclical motion until the handler was at my side. His reward? A rope with a knot on the end. I could tell Rudy was a working dog and more mature than Jake.
After lunch, we moved into a more complex method of finding someone by using a method known as discriminating airscenting. The two volunteers would line up fairly close to each other, one easily seen in the open field and the other hidden in the trees. The dogs would pick up both our scents, but had to discern which was the correct one. I don't recall the dog's name, but he was very intelligent. I played the decoy in the field and he came right up to me, smelled me, and turned and went back to the handler. He did this a second time and the handler told him to "go find him." The dog launched past me and went down the treeline. He overshot the target, but quickly realized that and came back to the area where the other volunteer was. I was completely impressed and amazed at the dog's ability.
I should point out that these dogs do not walk. They are running almost all of the time because time is of the essence. The final scenario involved three of us taking a long walk in the field. All the dogs would train on this scenario. I was the first decoy. My friend Jake was the first out and found me quickly. He proceeded to get in my face and started barking. Unfortunately, I wasn't the victim he was searching for. Jake got wind of the real victim and bounced off over the hill. Rudy was next. I heard him coming from my left. He ran within 10 feet of me and kept going. He knew I was not the right person. He returned to his handler, which confused the handler, and after a little discussion they realized that I was not the right person. Rudy had lost the scent of the real victim and did what he was supposed to do - return to the handler. The remaining dogs cycled through me as the rain got heavier.
In the end, I had spent almost 7 hours out in a cold and wet field. Dogs had jumped on me, licked me, and wanted to play with me. I had a blast! I gained a new appreciation and respect for the people, who volunteer their time and money, and the dogs, who work relentlessly to get that reward. It occurred to me during lunch, that these folks are on the "front lines" and are often the first ones to reach a victim, whether dead or alive. They are truly unsung heroes that play a vital part in our society. I felt honored to have been able to participate in this type of event and one that I will not forget.
[Information and pictures grabbed from www.nasdak.org]
The skies were dark and several rain drops splattered on the windshield as I pulled into Camp Andrel about 7:30 in the morning. Camp Andrel is a Girl Scout camp located outside of Rogersville, Alabama along the banks of the Elk River. The camp was teeming with activity already. There were SUVs and 4WDs; men and women dressed in outdoor apparel ranging from hunting to hiking gear; and dogs. There were as many dogs as people. However, these were not ordinary dogs. These were Search and Rescue dogs, abbreviated as SAR K9. These folks and animals had gathered for the 2008 Airscent Seminar.
What is airscent? Airscent usually refers to search dogs that use
airscenting techniques to search areas. Airscent dogs will ignore ground scent and will follow and locate people by catching the "hot" scent of people on the wind. Airscenting techniques are very effective for covering large areas quickly and can produce high probabilities of detection if conditions are good for airscenting. Some airscenting dogs are also trained to scent discriminate, meaning they can be pre-scented on an article from the missing persons and pick this person from others in the search area. These dogs are often called wilderness or area search dogs. Most are trained to find the victim, alert the handler when the victim has been found, and return the handler to the victim.It was becoming clear to me that I was a "victim." In order to train the dogs (and handlers), volunteers are needed to get lost and sometimes play dead in the wilderness. I was introduced to the head trainer, Denver from North Carolina, and put on a team that involved the advanced dogs. We drove to the training area, which was a 400 acre farm, and I was instructed to leave my car unlocked. At this point, I had not seen any of the dogs yet, but that time was coming. The dogs would be allowed to smell inside my car to get what is known as a "scent article" (i.e., my signature stinky body odor).
For my first scenario, I was dropped off on a road and told to walk a tree line in a gully for about 200 yards. I was then to turn left at the fence and walk about 300 yards to the top of the hill along another treeline. I was to hide among the brush/trees and play dead. No problem. I proceeded to the target area and wondered how long I would be here. I was told to bring a book or something to do. Instead, I chose to savor the solitude by lying down on my pack and watching the storm clouds blow overhead. Fortunately, it was not raining yet and I found myself admiring the wind and the trees. At that moment, in that place, I found peace, joy, and contentment.
After nodding off a time or two, I awoke to the sound of a dog barking far in the distance. I opened my eyes and saw a black retriever on a hill that was about a 1/2 mile from my location. For some reason, I assumed this dog was going after the other volunteer. I watched the dog track back and forth for a few seconds and then it bolted down the hill with speed that I couldn't believe. I lost him in the gully and wondered where he was going. In a few minutes, I started to hear something that resembled a cow bell. I realized that the bell was on the dog, named Jake, and he was making his way up the hill towards my location. Time to play dead. Jake saw me and came straight to my face and proceeded to give my head a bath with his tongue. Since I was dead, Jake tried his best to get me to respond. At one point, he opened his jaw and gently closed on my nose, but that didn't evoke a response so he started barking. The handler came and retrieved him. The reward for Jake? A toy that squeaked. Game over. Unfortunately, Jake didn't do what he was supposed to do. After finding me, he was supposed to return to the trainer or alert the trainer. Jake chose to lick me for a few minutes before notifying his trainer.
For my second scenario, I walked across the field and planted myself under a huge cedar tree. They would switch dogs and go after the other volunteer first. It started to gently rain and I chose not to do anything as I waited. Almost 2 hours later and after some good sleeping, I heard a cow bell again. This was Rudy, a German Shepherd. I heard him go back and forth for several minutes down below me. Later, I was told my scent had drifted downhill and was hanging in the trees, which confused the dog. Rudy finally got wind of me and came to my tree. Once he found me, he returned to his owner and then he returned to me again. He kept of this cyclical motion until the handler was at my side. His reward? A rope with a knot on the end. I could tell Rudy was a working dog and more mature than Jake.After lunch, we moved into a more complex method of finding someone by using a method known as discriminating airscenting. The two volunteers would line up fairly close to each other, one easily seen in the open field and the other hidden in the trees. The dogs would pick up both our scents, but had to discern which was the correct one. I don't recall the dog's name, but he was very intelligent. I played the decoy in the field and he came right up to me, smelled me, and turned and went back to the handler. He did this a second time and the handler told him to "go find him." The dog launched past me and went down the treeline. He overshot the target, but quickly realized that and came back to the area where the other volunteer was. I was completely impressed and amazed at the dog's ability.
I should point out that these dogs do not walk. They are running almost all of the time because time is of the essence. The final scenario involved three of us taking a long walk in the field. All the dogs would train on this scenario. I was the first decoy. My friend Jake was the first out and found me quickly. He proceeded to get in my face and started barking. Unfortunately, I wasn't the victim he was searching for. Jake got wind of the real victim and bounced off over the hill. Rudy was next. I heard him coming from my left. He ran within 10 feet of me and kept going. He knew I was not the right person. He returned to his handler, which confused the handler, and after a little discussion they realized that I was not the right person. Rudy had lost the scent of the real victim and did what he was supposed to do - return to the handler. The remaining dogs cycled through me as the rain got heavier.
In the end, I had spent almost 7 hours out in a cold and wet field. Dogs had jumped on me, licked me, and wanted to play with me. I had a blast! I gained a new appreciation and respect for the people, who volunteer their time and money, and the dogs, who work relentlessly to get that reward. It occurred to me during lunch, that these folks are on the "front lines" and are often the first ones to reach a victim, whether dead or alive. They are truly unsung heroes that play a vital part in our society. I felt honored to have been able to participate in this type of event and one that I will not forget.
[Information and pictures grabbed from www.nasdak.org]
Labels: airscent, NASDA, SAR, SAR K9, search and rescue dog
posted by Ed at 8:00 PM
2 Comments:
I don't think I could have held it together if Jake had licked me or bitten my nose for several minutes. You must be really good at playing dead.
Yeah, there's a fine line between the acting and when it's enough dog slobber :o He was doing everything he could to get me to "wake up" and play. Fortunately, I was already wet and muddy from the weather, so a little dog slobber here and there didn't seem to matter.
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