County Search and Rescue finds the trail

Floyd L. Brandt
Posted 9/21/18

Imagine going for a walk while visiting someone or finding yourself hiking with friends and getting separated. You thought you could find your way back, but now everything looks the same and the sun is going down, making it impossible to get home.

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County Search and Rescue finds the trail

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GOSHEN COUNTY – Imagine going for a walk while visiting someone or finding yourself hiking with friends and getting separated. You thought you could find your way back, but now everything looks the same and the sun is going down, making it impossible to get home.

How we get lost is one story, but how we are found is part of the tale of the Goshen County Search and Rescue group. From individuals getting lost in the wilderness to being trapped in a collapsed building after an earthquake, the four-legged heroes of the Search and Rescue Team work tirelessly to find people. 

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, for example, 100 trained rescue dogs were dispatched with their human partners to scourer the rubble. Rescue dogs are invaluable around the world, helping to find those who are trapped or lost. 

The Goshen County Search and Rescue is headed up by co-director and certified K9 handler Jerry Numon and his cadaver dog Pax and tracking dog Digs. The difference between the two canine specialties is just like it sounds – tracking dogs are trained to find the living and cadaver dogs train to find deceased victims.

Rachel Martin, with her cadaver dog Bailey and tracking dog Flower, are in training. This is the second cadaver dog that Rachel has trained. Both Bailey and Flower are Catahoula mixes. 

“I have been a member of GCSAR for four years,” Martin said. “I joined search and rescue because I was interested in helping people and being a part of the community.

“My dogs are high energy, highly driven dogs and enjoy working,” she said. “I love that it helps the dogs to have something to do when they have been home all day.”

Rebecca Wells and her dog Cayanna are new to the team. She came from California and her dog Cayanna was donated from Tiffany Cordova owner of Mannhaft in Cheyenne. These dogs are pure breed German Shepherd that are for search and rescue. The cost of her dog is around $1,200 to $2,000 Mannhaft also donated Numon’s dog, Digs. 

Always practicing

During a recent training session, cadaver dog Bailey and her handler, Martin, faced a double-blind scenario to search for human remains at the Goshen County Resource Center. The scenario is set up so the dog does not know where the remains are located, but the handler does. This prompts the dog to work to find their target.

“We do this kind of search for a long time because you have to be able to read your dog,” Numon said. “You have to be able to see their nose twitch, see the dog’s difference in breathing, what the difference in what the ears do and what the tail does. Everything her dog does, she has to be able to see and read.” 

After finding the blind, with Bailey stopping next to the cadaver, Martin watches the dog for a sign. Standing next to the blind, she looks to her trainer, waiting for her next command. Cadaver search dog needs to be in training multiple times a week to keep their skills sharp, Numon said. 

After she successfully locates the target, Martin gives Bailey a ball to play with as a reward. 

“We should be going back to training two times a week and she’ll find it in no time,” Martin said. 

When the ground gets warm the scent permeates the ground. Whether you are talking about tracking a living person or human remains detection, this is scent theory, Numon said. 

“Humans when we walk, we drop thousands and thousands of scent particles,” he said. “That is what dogs track, as well as ground disturbance.”

When it gets warm during the day, the scent can be difficult for the dog to locate, Numon said. If the trainer has a choice when finding someone with their dog, they prefer early morning, early night or all night. When it cools off, the ground gets cool and the scent comes back up. 

“It is no different when it is human remain,” Numon said. “This is why we don’t train during the heat of the day.”  

However, with specialized training, it is possible for a dog to track in the heat of the day. In Afghanistan, for example, search dogs track in heat of 120 degrees. 

“We have worked a homicide, finding things at 100 degrees,” Numon said. “B,ut we prefer early when it is crisp or late when it cools.” 

Canine psychology

Training dogs you must first figure out the dog’s drive is, Numon said. One of his dogs, Pax is food driven, for example. But Pax also has a favorite toy he will receive as a reward when the day’s work is done. 

“We use food at the site of the human remains that Pax finds as a reward,” Numon said. “But at the end, when I take off his harness, he knows we are done and he can play. 

“We bring out the ball, which is only used when we are finished working,” he said. “Then I put him up and the ball is taken away. This is what drives him.”

Martin’s cadaver dog, Bailey, is also toy driven, playing with a ball after finding the first blind.

Cayanna is a new, young dog in the team. Her trainer, Rebecca Wells, is currently learning about her and what may drive the dog, food or a toy.

“The team we have I am excited about it,” Numon said. “Rachel (Martin) has certified another cadaver dog that is working in another search and rescue area.

“She is now training two new dogs Bailey, a cadaver dog that will certify within the year, and Flower a tracker we’ll certify in two years. Rebecca’s dog Cayanna, is a tracker (and) will certify within two years.” 

For certification, younger dogs are presented with a scenario to follow and eight-hour-old trail. Dogs must follow the track for 300 yards. More advanced dogs are presented with a 24- to 25-hour-old trail they must follow for as much as three miles.

Challenges to the certification trails include twists and turns and the possibility people or animals may have crossed, confusing the initial scent. Other hazards can include fallen trees, creeks or lakes and the occasional snake.

Trackers and search-and-rescue personnel also utilize the results of numerous studies on how different age groups might respond to being lost. That provides valuable insight to aid the teams as they begin and conduct their searches.

Work or play

Rituals are important when working with the dogs, Numon said. Exchanging their every-day collar for a harness, for example, tells the dog it is time to work. 

When Numon’s dog is around other dogs, Pax’s natural response is to be more aggressive. But, when the harness goes on, the aggressiveness is put aside and his attention shifts to work, with a food reward for each find.

It’s equally important to maintain the rituals at the end of a search, Numon said. After a tracking session, the harness comes off first, telling Pax the work day is over. Only then will he receive his ball and playtime as a reward.

The same is true for Martin and Bailey, with some slight variation. After each find, Martin will throw Bailey’s ball once as her reward. But working with Bailey, the harness stays in place during the find reward. Only at the end of a search does the harness come off, letting Bailey know it is time to play, long and hard.

The Goshen County Search and Rescue team is funded through donations and volunteers. GCSAR offers opportunities for volunteers in many different ways besides using tracking dogs. GCSAR can be contacted at (307) 532-7039.