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K-9 Unit
Part of the Search and Rescue Team that is a team in itself is the canine unit. These dogs and their handlers train together in all weather
conditions, all types of terrain, and many different scenarios in order to be fully prepared to find that person when called upon.
There are three basic types of search dogs: air scenting dogs, tracking
dogs, and trailing dogs. Each dog has skills and techniques that can be utilized in many search situations. The air scenting dog relies on air-born scent from the person. Often these dogs are used to cover a specified area, to search for any air-born human scent in the area. The dogs work freely, off lead, often traveling out of sight of their handler. Once the dog locates a person, he returns to his handler to indicate to him that he has located a person and leads him to that person.
Tracking dogs are trained to follow a specific humans scent, following
the ground track that the person traveled. They are capable of differentiating one person's scent from many others, and to follow just that one specified person. These dogs may utilize scent that clings to nearby brush, trees, or on the ground itself. The dog and handler are kept in close contact by a lead attached to the dogs harness, helping the handler to read the dog's signals and stay fairly close.
The trailing dogs are a combination of the tracking dogs and the air
scenters, utilizing both ground and air-born scent. These dogs can also follow a specific humans scent. They will often cut off a portion of the ground track, following the shortest path to the specified person via air scenting. The dog is initially given a scent article, or scented off an object that the person has touched, and that specific scent is imprinted in the dog's brain until they are given another scent article. The dog's main goal is to find the person that matches the scent, and they will find the most direct path to get there.
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