CHILLICOTHE― To the nonprofit Southern Ohio Canine Search and Rescue Team, they are working tirelessly to find missing people. To the diverse group of dogs, they’re playing a rewarding game of hide-and-seek.
The search team was created in June 2021 and has been called into action 13 times. The newly-established group of 10 dogs, six handlers and two field supporters collaborate with local law enforcement whenever the need arises.
The dogs are instructed to find a scent to help find a missing person. A handler watches over their dog. The field support team follows the handler to keep the team safe, watch for hazards and handle radio communications. Everyone on the team has a background in fire and EMS.
Represented dog breeds on the team include German shepherds, an Australian shepherd – Board Collie mix, a basset hound, a Labrador mix and more. Many of the animals were rescued. Handler Jenny Mathes said any dog can learn to search as long as they’re determined.
The dogs are trained in air scent, trailing, water recovery, live find or human remains detection. Some dogs are dual-trained. Some dogs track a scent through the air, so they must be off-leash to smell an entire area. Others track from the ground and can remain on a leash while following “foot for foot” where the missing person went.
Once the dog finds what it’s looking for, it will find its human and lead them to its finding. Jenny said some dogs are rewarded with a specific toy, treats or their dinner.
Pandee, short for Panda Bear, is trained in water recovery. She stands on the bow of the search team’s boat and sniffs the water or ice until she picks up a scent. She whines, barks or drools when she picks up a scent.
Baby, a black Labrador, uses air scent to track missing persons and wears a cowbell so her human can keep track of her whereabouts. She runs to her target, excited about her reward — a green squeaky ball. She barks five times when she finds her target.
One of the newest dogs on the team, Rosie the basset hound, uses her long ears to bring smell to her nose. Handler Becky Mathes said Rosie is learning to look up when searching, which she struggles with due to her short stature.
The handlers can encourage a dog to choose a specific skill, but the dogs ultimately decide what skill they specialize in.
Team training officer and handler Alice Ault brought the group together and provides expertise on training and caring for the dogs.
“None of us knew what we were doing until we got teamed up with Alice, and she helped guide us in what we needed to do to train our dogs,” said team member Amy Raike.
Ault said search and rescue training typically starts in a small room. When instructed to “find it,” the dog is trained to find a specified person and is rewarded after completing the task. Then, the process is repeated with the person standing further and further away each time.
When not searching for someone, the team works tirelessly to keep up with the dogs’ training. Field supporter Arron Kerns said they train in diverse areas to ensure the dogs can operate in any environment, including urban areas, the wilderness and residential buildings.
As part of the field support team, Kerns has the honor of helping the dogs train by hiding. Kerns’ 11-year-old niece, Ellyza, is also happy to help train the dogs. To assist, someone will run away and hide behind a fallen tree or rock, then the handlers will show the dog a piece of the “missing” person’s clothing. Then, the dog takes off in search of their lost friend.
Kerns said he’s seen the dogs fastly progress through their training.
“I joined up right as Fiona was really starting their training and they were doing the ‘Hey, go stand over there and then go find your reward,’ to where she is now running through the woods, just following the scent and her nose and finding people,” Kerns said. “It was neat to see the progress from the very beginning to where she’s at now.”
Besides daily team training sessions, the handlers also complete seminars and certifications with their dogs. Jenny said the group pays for training out of pocket, which can “cost anywhere upwards of $800 a training.” Kerns said attending a seminar often costs about $500 per person, not including travel costs.
The group relies on donations to purchase necessary equipment. Most recently, the Chillicothe Halloween Festival gave the search team a $1,500 donation to pay for matching jackets to protect the handlers and field assistants when searching in harsh environments.
President of the festival committee, Gene Betts, said the festival was started to give back to Ross County.
“This could be something that impacts any of our families,” Betts said. “Anything can happen where a loved one’s missing and these folks are going to be out looking for them. We want them protected.”
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Kerns said the team is looking to invest in radios in the near future to better communicate while on a search. Jenny said she hopes to get every dog fully certified.
“They train the way they play,” Kerns said. “Everybody here is doing it because of the love of their dogs and for the community.”
Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Southern Ohio Canine Search and Rescue Team helps find missing persons