Spartanburg County, SC (WSPA) – The South Carolina Search and Rescue Dog Association is assisting in the search for missing persons. 7NEWS went behind the scenes on how they train their dogs.
Training took place at Pakolet River Heritage Preserve. This non-profit organization he founded in 2002. All trainers are volunteers and offer their services free of charge. Each dog has a special kind of training that helps in missing person cases.
“The way Penny works is the smell that comes out of our bodies from decomposition. She smells the oil and different parts of the body have different odors,” said Mitch Henderson.
Penny and handler Mitch Henderson search for human remains. Upon smelling it, she walks away, followed by Henderson.
“I might go to North Carolina, I might stay here in Spartanburg, I might go to Greenville,” Henderson said. “Wherever we need it.”
During training, Penny sniffs the ground, looking for human body odors, and sits down to let her know she’s found what she’s looking for.
Henderson said the summer is the peak time to seek help as hikers go missing.
“You need law enforcement or emergency management to call us,” he said.
Penny can search bones, blood, tissue, and even teeth.
“It can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes to several hours,” says Henderson.
Some South Carolina search and rescue dogs are trained to find deceased people, while others are trained to look for living people.
SCARDA goes to multiple environments and trains dogs multiple times a month. There are three types of search and rescue dogs: human bone detection dogs, tracking dogs, and area search dogs. German Shepherd Iris is he one of their tracking dogs. This means you keep your nose on the ground trying to find the missing person’s scent.
“There will be a flag, there will be a scent article left. First, she will get the SAR harness, I will put her on a long leash, then give her the check command,” Morgan said. says Reid.
From there, Reid, Iris’ handler, said she would follow that path.
“When she hits the trail, she either noses down directly or hovers about six inches off the ground, depending on how old the trail is,” says Reid.
Sniff around until the missing person is found.
Sarah Hay, a K9 handler, has a dog and conducts area searches.
“They surf the air for scent cones from missing people. So they’re not necessarily following trails, they’re following scent cones,” Hay said.
According to Haye, Faramir will start with a chase and then move on to an area search.
“Our common target is the elderly, or children who may have dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or some form of dementia,” she said.
The team serves as a law enforcement tool.
“We’re kind of like a special team that joins a football team. “Usually our dogs find them if they are where they are.”
All five trainers and their dogs are always ready to help find a lost person.
“We are there at a very difficult time for our family,” Hay said.
“You never know when that will happen,” Reid said.
“That’s why we’re here to help and give back,” Henderson said.
The type of dog used is based on law enforcement needs.
Anyone interested in helping the team can donate land for training, volunteer as a test subject, donate, or become a team member.
