Knowing more about cadaver dogs
(Keef Whiteman- BA, English & Psychology, student canine behaviourist advisor at FOTD & PA to Scotty Valadao)
Their job may not be pretty but is so important in terms of providing closure for grieving families, and they play an irreplaceable role in solving deceased and missing persons cases….
What do they do?
While search and rescue dogs are trained to pick up the general scent of humans, cadaver dogs specialize in detecting decomposing flesh. A trained cadaver dog is 95 % successful at picking up the scents of human decomposition, including bodies that are buried up to 15 feet deep.
Some can also detect traces as small as a shard of bone or drop of blood. They can tell the difference between, say, a dead fox as opposed to a dead hiker.
These dogs are oftentimes used alongside search and rescue dogs as that allows for humans to be found both dead or alive.
It takes a specially trained dog, and a specific kind of person to do the work of searching for human remains.....
Types
Training
Conclusion
These dogs and their handlers serve and important role yet it’s not a very easy nor rewarding one. Individuals who are considering this path need to think about the implications carefully as keeping these dogs trained and ready is not a simple task and finding human remains is not the most pleasant thing to deal with. It takes a special kind of person and a unique sort of dog. Both should be highly respected and commended for their efforts!
What do they do?
While search and rescue dogs are trained to pick up the general scent of humans, cadaver dogs specialize in detecting decomposing flesh. A trained cadaver dog is 95 % successful at picking up the scents of human decomposition, including bodies that are buried up to 15 feet deep.
Some can also detect traces as small as a shard of bone or drop of blood. They can tell the difference between, say, a dead fox as opposed to a dead hiker.
These dogs are oftentimes used alongside search and rescue dogs as that allows for humans to be found both dead or alive.
It takes a specially trained dog, and a specific kind of person to do the work of searching for human remains.....
Types
- Field cadaver dog: trained to go out and search for, locate, and alert to human decomposition — usually in wooded areas, big fields, national forests, or perhaps even in people's homes, vehicles or barns.
- Disaster cadaver dog: similar to the dogs that were used during 9/11, later on in the process. Those dogs are utilized once an operation moves to what is considered a recovery operation and no longer a rescue operation, as such their skill level is actually a little higher than those initial dogs, in that they can work in even more demanding environments: rubble piles, areas where there's been a natural or man-made disaster, glass buildings, glass structures, that sort of thing.
- Water cadaver dog: the most difficult to train, only because it requires a lot more time and resources. This star of a dog will locate decomposition in aquatic environments, lakes, rivers, streams, etc.
- Sex and breed are not that important. What is looked for is ‘drive’, that dog's motivation to engage with prey items, toys, etc., and their ability to hunt for it for extended periods of time.
- Next, it’s ‘general trainability’ and ‘overall environmental stability’. How social are they? How stable are they in different environments?
- Age is a factor not because one cannot train an older dog, but due to the amount of time and resources involved in training. Younger candidates between the ages of 1 year to 2 ½ years old are preferred as these will have longer working careers.
Training
- Cadaver dogs are trained in certified training facilities, where special chemicals are used to mimic the scents of decomposing human flesh before the dog moves on to training with real body parts.
- Each dog receives about 1,000 hours of training before they are ready to work in the field, making them a highly valuable investment for law enforcement and other types of search groups.
- During training, cadaver dogs are taught to differentiate between various types of human remains including recently dead victims, long-dead victims, and even those that have drowned. They can pick up on various stages of decomposition and sources of older remains like bone, bone fragments, teeth, and dried or powdered blood.
- They are also trained to tell the difference between human remains and that of other animals. Since it’s likely these dogs will come across the scent of decomposing wildlife while out in the field. It’s important therefore, that they can differentiate.
Conclusion
These dogs and their handlers serve and important role yet it’s not a very easy nor rewarding one. Individuals who are considering this path need to think about the implications carefully as keeping these dogs trained and ready is not a simple task and finding human remains is not the most pleasant thing to deal with. It takes a special kind of person and a unique sort of dog. Both should be highly respected and commended for their efforts!
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