Discipline: Airscent

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 Wilderness Airscent

The Airscent Lead is Nicole Donohue. There are 12 K9s who are either certified, pre-certified, a team in training or a prospect for Airscent. 

Wilderness Airscent is one of the three disiplines SCVSAR K9 can provide when it comes to finding missing people. Airscent dogs are mostly deployed for overdue hikers but are also deployed for dementia walk-aways in nearby greenbelts, fields, and woods. These dogs can cover large areas in a short time as they do not work on leash and can range away from the team to work at their own pace. 

Airscent dogs work with their noses pointed up. They look for the largest human scent pool or the freshest in the general area. 

In order to certify, the airscent dog must be able to search a blind 40-acre wooded area in 2 hours with 2 unkown subjects. It is up to the handler to make sure the area is adequately cleared and to read their dog if they have any Change of Behavior (COB). The dog must convince the handler if there is someone in the area or not. 

Although not common in other areas of the world, Snohomish County requests that their area dogs have a recall-refind but we like to call it "Ping-Pong". The dog must go into the missing subject then return to the handler without prompting, indicate (this can be a tug on a toy, spin, bark, jump) and return to the subject. They will do this as many times as needed to herd the search team to the missing person as necessary. 

K9 Blu showing a recall-refind

  
K9 Zane leaving subject to find and alert handler

 

 

 

 

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