Leapin’ Labs

Tonight was Mason’s scheduled MISAR evaluation. I was really nervous and he was really excited. It rained this afternoon and I wasn’t sure if the training would be canceled or not but it cleared up by the time we got out of work so we made the trek to Lowell for the meeting.

We were one of the first teams there. After everyone arrived Eric and I followed along to learn some field support techniques as a Bloodhound followed a trail. It was a two-mile hike and about half way through it, it started to rain. Then it increased somewhere between raining and pouring. Luckily, we were in the woods so it was decreased a little bit but we all still got pretty wet. It was a nice warm day and the rain cut the humidity so I was ok with it.

After we followed the Bloodhound, we followed two air scent teams into the woods to watch them locate one live and one dead “victim”. It’s important for them to alert on the live person before the dead because (for obvious reasons) they are priority in a real search. It was fun to see the differences in the alerting and working styles. Some dogs are all business and they move through the woods at a quick but controlled pace. Other dogs race through like they’re going for a romp, but they are just as successful. Some dogs alert by barking and some by jumping, some by sitting. It’s all different. They are rewarded differently as well. Some get treats and toys, some get to tug, again all variable.

After that we got Mason out for his temperament test. He passed easily. Some of the things he had to do included: going under a dark deck on command, being tied and left, being handled by someone else, meeting a neutral stranger, meeting a friendly stranger, meeting another dog/handler team, his toy drive was tested, along with response to treats. Next we headed into the woods.

First he just was let loose to romp around and show that he was comfortable working away from me but that he would come back – which he is and did. Then someone “popped” him (teased him with his tug) and ran down into the woods, Mason was allowed to watch for 10 feet and then I distracted him so he couldn’t see while the person with his toy hid. Then I released him. He went bolting off at full speed, nose working. He actually passed the person on the way by but he wasn’t looking with his eyes, he was using his nose – and he found them. His tail was going a mile a minute and he got to tug and win and proudly prance back to me with his reward.

We did this one more time and again with the person popping out and yelling. Every time he set out with the same amount of eagerness. Next we walked in the general direction of the cadaver that we had used earlier in the evening for training. Mason went flying past and it was like his nose jerked his whole body around, he had found the cadaver. He was a little bit wary of the smell and so he crept up rather slowly but he took a good sniff and then wandered away like it was nothing.

On the walk back he was horrendous on-lead, not heeling well at all. Something we’re going to definitely work on. But…HE PASSED!!!! Yay little dude!!!! We will be continuing his training with MISAR. Plus, because of his favorable reaction to the cadaver scent, with some positive reinforcement we hope to dual-certify him for human remains as well. We were told he has great instincts and is an awesome prospect for wilderness air scenting!

Before he can get certified I have to pass my field support training, along with collecting a bunch of equipment/supplies and getting some new gear (at least boots!). Eric is even considering becoming field support as well and would be a part of our team .

Today I drove to Lansing to meet with the members of Michigan Search and Rescue to participate in a training, sans Mason. I arrived earlier than I expected (I was sure I would hit construction, but didn’t ), but a member pulled in right behind me.

The training was held at the old YMCA building. It was rundown, windows out and smelly. Birds had flown in the broken windows and gotten stuck inside so there were feathers and bird poo everywhere. But, overall it wasn’t as bad as I had been warned it would be.

I met a lot of really nice people and their various dogs, of several different breeds: GSD, Labs, Bloodhound, Tervuren…After a brief obedience lesson consisting of heeling, sit, stay and recalls everyone split into their separate groups: tracking and air scent. I went with air scent as that is probably what Mason will end up doing (tracking is usually for hounds).

First, I got to be a victim and hide in a room for a really friendly Golden Retriever to find me – which she did. Next I got to watch someone else get found. I also trailed after an Otterhound followed a track out and around the building and then into the building right to the person. It was fun and interesting. Not only did the dogs find live victims but there were also place human remains for them to find. The team apparently only works in buildings 1-2 times a year. The lack of availability of buildings is one of the biggest reasons. Also, most SAR involves wilderness. Because of this, some of the dogs had a more difficult time adjusting to the different environment, it was fun to watch them work through it.

After all the teams got to work through the various floors, I got to watch a temperament evaluation on a potential SAR GSD hopeful. The test seemed to be a meld of the Temperament Test Society test and the CGC test – Mason would do fine I think.

After that I talked fairly extensively with one of the leaders, who happens to be close to Grand Rapids. It is a rule of the group that members go to 75% of the monthly meetings but then smaller sub-groups also meet once a week closer to their home towns. Luckily, one of those sub-groups is in the general GR area . I am hopeful to fill out an app and perhaps go to the Wednesday meeting this week – where Mason will be evaluated. Not only for temperament but also for the type of SAR he would do best at. I am very excited, I think Mason is built for this work and will excel – I can’t wait!

Today we went to Eaton Rapids to meet with Mike from Mid Michigan Kennels. It was fantastic! The drive was a little over an hour and the last bit I felt that we might be lost but we found it without any troubles. Mike ended up being an extremely charismatic man, easy to talk to and with a lot of knowledge. His office walls were covered in awards and certificates. He used to be on the police force and in the army as well. Anyway, after watching me play with Mason and his tug and some discussion about the differences between scent tracing and tracking we headed out to a field not far away. We will be working on scent tracing with Mason. This means that he will not be following the direct path of the missing person, but getting their scent on the wind and following that. I was really nervous. I was worried that he wouldn’t care that one of us was hiding or not. Once we got there, Eric had instructions to walk around the outside of the field to get to the tree at which he was going to hide behind. He took Mason’s favorite tug toy with him. This way, when we started Mason out in the field he would not be able to just track Eric’s footsteps around the outside. Also, he didn’t get to watch Eric leave, we had him between the two trucks. Once Eric was in position we headed out into the field. Mason was allowed to go to the end of the leash and wander as he pleased. All of a sudden, his head snapped up and Mike gave me the instruction to release the leash. Mason darted off to the right and at first I thought he was on the trail of something not-Eric. But then he veered left. Back and forth, working the scent cone just like Mike said he would. Here’s a rough diagram of what it looked like:

It was honestly pretty awe-inspiring to watch. Once he reached Eric he got huge praise and to play with his tug, which he promptly retrieved back to me We were ecstatic!! Unfortunately, Eric didn’t get to see him in action. So, I went and hid this time on the opposite side of the field from the start point and behind a huge pile of rocks. He had to work a little harder and get a little closer but he found me. The funny thing was, he had lifted his head, eyes pointed right at me and didn’t even see me until he had run right into me. Mike said he “wasn’t seeing with his eyes, he was seeing with his nose”. It was awesome! I couldn’t stop smiling. The final verdict was to play this hide-and-seek game with Mason around 2 times a week until April, in different areas, environments and seasons. Then we could enroll him in classes. We got instructions on how to further the training but with the same basic concept as what we did right there. Mike said that he thought Mason had it in him: he has the nose, the personality, the drive and he’s people-oriented. He said we have done a good job socializing him. I am soooo excited!!