By Debbie Burke
Happy New Year! Welcome back after TKZ’s annual hiatus.
Heroes Kerrie Garges and Gauge
How about kicking off 2022 with a dog story?
Back in 2020, I interviewed Kerrie Garges, a search and rescue volunteer from Pennsylvania, about a bombing that killed three people.
Kerrie has spent years training her three Labrador Retrievers, Ace, Luna, and Gauge, in various search disciplines (air scent, article scent, human remains, etc.).
A few weeks ago, Kerrie and I reconnected and she brought me up to date on her dogs and their recent activities.
Sadly, Ace passed away last year from bone cancer. Luna is retired because her hips bothered her on long searches but she quite happily watches TV.
Kerrie’s big news was about Gauge. When we last chatted, he was still a rambunctious puppy. He’s now 2 ½ and has recently been certified in Live Find and Article Search.
And he’s now officially a hero.
Article search involves items that have been worn by or touched by a person that their scent clings to (examples: fabric, leather, metal, plastic). To test dogs, an area 75’ by 75’ is marked off with flags. Within that area, five scent articles are randomly hidden. Dogs and handlers then wait two hours while scent dissipates, simulating conditions that may occur in real-life searches for a lost person.
One at a time, dogs are turned loose in the area with the command “Search” and given 15 minutes to find scent articles. The quest is confusing because other dogs and handlers leave their own scent as well.
Gauge located four articles in the allotted 15-minute time, earning “Article Search” certification. Four hours later, when scent had dissipated even more, he found the fifth article.
Gauge is also training for Human Remains Detection (HRD). According to Kerrie, patients at the University of Ohio hospital can opt to donate their bodies for search work. The Center for Forensics Training Education (CFTE) procures the remains and uses them for training seminars, one of which Kerrie and Gauge participated in last summer.
Not surprisingly, a recently deceased body gives off a much stronger scent than a body that has decomposed for a long period of time.
Cadaver dogs have located bodies of crime victims concealed for 15+ years. But canine noses are even more powerful than previously realized.
In 2018, archaeologists in Croatia tested HRD dogs to see if they could locate burial vaults that radiocarbon dating determined were from more than 2700 years ago. Dogs alerted to limestone slabs where tiny fragments of human bone were uncovered, along with amber beads and other artifacts. Even when no visible skeletal remains were present, dogs still alerted, leading scientists to posit that fluids from decomposition leaked into the porous limestone where odor remained more than 2000 years later.
Back to Gauge’s training with fresher remains…
Kerrie says dogs are allowed to familiarize themselves by sniffing and exploring the recently deceased bodies, sometimes licking and walking on remains. A handler must take care not to give cues that might confuse the dog, such as expressing distaste.
That must be a challenge.
Gauge’s alert signal when he finds his target is to run back to Kerrie and jump on her.
One particularly hot training day, fluids had leaked onto the tarp the cadaver was laid on. Gauge sniffed while walking around in the fluids, then proceeded to alert Kerrie by exuberantly jumping up on her, sharing the odor of decomposition (decomp) clinging to his furry paws. Fortunately, she was wearing a rubberized coat that protected her…somewhat.
He was, after all, doing his job.
Being certified does not guarantee the dog and handler will be called out nor that they will have a successful outcome. After 12 long years of dog training, Kerrie had never had a live find until…
On October 8, 2021, she answered a call at 5:30 p.m. at the height of rush hour traffic. She was an hour away from the Gordon Natural Area for Environmental Studies, a 126-acre park on the property of the University of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Coincidentally, the park had been a training area for search dogs.
In fact, the man who had given permission to use the area for training was the very one who went missing that evening.
He and his wife were trail keepers. They had ridden a UTV to the end of a service road to work. The wife walked down to their base, expecting the husband to return on the UTV. She waited but he never showed up. His phone pinged to the left of the service road but he was not there.
He was diabetic so there was concern a medical issue had befallen him.
But where?
Two air scent dogs and one trailing dog, their handlers, a nurse, a paramedic, and other volunteers were deployed to search. Kerrie and Gauge did a “quick hastie”, a preliminary reconnaissance check, hiking to the top of the hill where the UTV was found. From there, a grid search began as the three dog teams split up to cover their assigned areas.
The searchers coordinated the different styles of their dogs with the terrain—Gauge is a “long ranger” while the other two stuck close to their handlers.
Soon the sun was down, leaving the area in darkness. Gauge wore a lighted vest and a bell to allow Kerrie to keep track of him. “Darkness brings out the dog’s nose,” she says, “because he can’t see distractions, like deer, during night searches.”
She adds, “You’re running on adrenaline because you’re trying to save a life.”
The terrain was difficult–steep and littered with fallen trees. There were no trails to follow. She recalls that she and her two flankers “did a lot of butt climbing over logs.”
Gauge indicated the scent seemed to be flowing down from the top of the hill and pooling in a lower area.
Then he alerted.
Kerrie couldn’t see any sign of the missing man until she clambered around a four-foot-diameter log.
Tucked beside the log lay the lost man, unresponsive and ashy-gray. Gauge was standing over him. Unlike training sessions where the dog normally was exuberant at finding the target, this time he seemed subdued, perhaps recognizing the seriousness of the man’s condition.
“In the shape he was in, I don’t know how he could have gotten there,” Kerrie says.
The nurse with Kerrie had glucose in her pack. While she and the paramedic tended to the man, Kerrie took Gauge aside, rewarding him with a game of tug of war.
The man was transported for care and recovered.
Gauge scored a live find with only two years of training.
And he became a TV star:
Thank you, Kerrie, Gauge, and other search and rescue volunteers for your lifesaving work!
~~~
Meet a search dog who turns up unexpected gruesome discoveries in Debbie Burke’s thriller, Dead Man’s Bluff.
Happy New Year, Debbie! Thanks for the great and eye-opening post, which reaffirms my general preference for dogs over people. That account at the end concerning Kerrie’s live find had me a little misty-eyed this morning. But please don’t tell anyone.
HNY to you also, Joe, TKZ’s favorite early bird!
Don’t worry–your secret’s safe with me!
Deb thank you for bringing light to what search dogs can do! Your a kind person and talented writer! One of these days I hope to make it out to Montana to visit!
Kerrie, it’s my privilege to talk with you about your amazing work!
Hi Joe the end result of that search had me teary eyed as well! And I agree dogs do have a special place in my heart and soul than some people. I am passionate about the work we do. It keeps myself and my dogs fit, challenges our minds and its a great community of like minded people and their K9s , all committed to bringing the lost and missing home.
Deb thank you for bringing light to what search dogs can do! Your a kind person and talented writer! One of these days I hope to make it out to Montana to visit!
Just one reason dogs are my favorite people. Thanks for sharing.
I couldn’t agree more, BK!
Dogs are amazing. Thanks for an uplifting story to start the day. The K-9 sessions at conferences are always standing room only. Now I need to see if I can find my notes to see if Kerrie was a presenter at one of the conferences I attended. She seems familiar.
HNY, Terry!
Kerrie would be a terrific presenter at a conference. Maybe she’ll turn up at a future Flathead River Writers Conference in Montana?
Good morning and Happy New Year all…
Amazing dogs indeed… I saw (on PBS, I’m guessing), a “dog-umentary that went into awfully geeky detail on dogs noses and sense of smell… like, not only can they tell you where a campfire on a wooded trail was two weeks ago, but what was cooked over said fire (though not whether the eggs were scrambled or over-easy…)
Also, their nostrils are shaped the way they are because the larger side if for inhaling, the smaller, slit side for exhaling, so as not to mix the new scents with the old… which makes watching my rescue buddy “explore” while we walk all the more interesting and wondermous – just WHAT is he learning about that tree trunk (besides the obvious…?)
George, thanks for the fascinating tidbit about the larger side nostril for inhaling and the side slit for exhaling.
That tree trunk is actually Doggy Facebook. Or should it be Nosebook?
My friend refers it to her dog checking her p-mail.
LOL!!!
Oh my goodness, that left me teary-eyed. Dogs are AMAZING!
Patricia, live finds are esp. gratifying b/c, much of the time, a “rescue” mission turns into a “recovery” mission.
Good morning, Debbie. Happy New Year, and thanks for a very interesting post.
This is all new material for me. Fascinating. The only lab we ever owned, Duchess, could always find whatever tool I had been using, while working outside. I would hide them, but she made off with them and wanted me to give chase. She misbehaved for attention. I still use that phrase.
I can see how this information would make for a great story. I’m looking forward to reading Dead Man’s Bluff . (as soon as I finish Eyes in the Sky )
Have a great day!
Happy New Year, Steve!
“Misbehaved for attention.” What a great phrase–applies to dogs and humans both!
Our Weimaraner used to snitch my husband’s small tools and a Buck pocketknife. After we had to put her to sleep, we found her cache in the back yard where she’d hidden the collection, by that time covered with rust. They became precious mementos of her.
🙂
A great article, Debbie. Dogs are awesome, and their scent abilities are beyond believability. I was reading an article recently about one trainer who is now training dogs for various health conditions and cancer as well as dogs for search and rescue. They are even trained to find very rare animals and plants in areas that need to be protected. Places in the North Carolina mountains have toad and gensing sniffers.
Cadaver dogs can even smell the long dead in trees above their resting place. Nothing is left of the body, but some of the elements of the body are within the tree.
Thanks, Marilynn. We’re just scratching the surface of dogs’ abilities. Truly the human’s best friend.
Good morning and Happy New Year, Debbie!
What a wonderful story to begin the new year with. Many thanks to Kerrie and Gauge for their incredible, life-saving work.
Question for Kerrie: where did you get the name “Gauge” for your dog?
My hubs named him…it was his turn to name a dog in our family. He is an avid hunter!
Happy New Year, Kay, and thanks! Your post yesterday kicked me back to work!
Debbie and Kerrie, a great post.
I love our German shepherd, Hoka. She’s way more entertaining than the people in my life. *Ahem*
She has the best ears in the world. She can hear a cat meow a mile away. And her nose…
I play a nightly game with her: Hide The Treats From Hoka.
After she eats her dinner, she gets a couple of treats, but not until we sit down to eat. I’ve tried hiding them on the counter in the open. Nope! Then I put them in the cupboard. Nope! Then, I put them in a plastic sandwich baggie, sealed, in the cupboard. Nope!
I’m out of ideas . . . but it sure is fun being bested by her. 🙂
The dog will always win that game, Deb!
Way to go, Gauge! Thanks for an uplifting post, Debbie. It sounds like Kerrie’s doing important work. Bless her. Animals have amazing abilities. Humans can learn a lot from them. Endless possibilities. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, Sue! Your crows are pretty incredible, too!
Wow, what a story, Debbie! Thank you! I love dogs–I went through a phase in 6th/7th grade where I read a bunch of dog stories, including Call of the Wild, Silver-chief Dog of the North, etc. Gauge is a shining example of the finest in canine-dom.
Love, too, that their incredible sense of scent is being utilized to find people. What a live saver Gauge was here.
Happy New Year!
Dale
Happy New Year, Dale!
According to today’s unofficial, unscientific TKZ survey, dogs are far more popular and beloved than humans.
🙂
They never stop loving . . . unlike humans sometimes.
Happy New Year, Debbie. What a terrific way to get TKZ started in 2022.
Thanks, Elaine, and a Happy New Year back atcha!
And…in today’s news… https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/05/real-life-lassie-dog-rescue-new-hampshire
Wow, Bill, that’s a shivers up the back of the neck story. Thanks for sharing it. Tinsley deserves a T-bone.
What a fabulous story. My eyes are no longer dusty. Gauge has the same coloring of my Jack Russell, Katie. She passed on five years ago but I still think of her almost every day. She wasn’t scent trained but boy could she search and destroy rats and snakes. A perfect little killing machine, who also loved to cuddle.
Pam, one year, mice overtook my veggie garden. I “rented” my neighbor’s Jack Russell. He cleared the big patch in half an hour.
Dogs can do many jobs. Cuddler-in-chief is my favorite.