Setback

I met with the local sheriff this afternoon and briefly discussed the prospect of Ilsa becoming affiliated with the department on a volunteer basis. I found a less than enthusiastic response. Apparently the sheriff thinks squirrel dogs are sufficient for finding human beings. He doesn't understand that a squirrel dog turned loose in a search area searches for.....squirrels.

Several years back, a school teacher was murdered and her body was the subject of months and months of organized searching using hunting dogs. The general area was known, and the ground was contaminated on top of contamination from previous searches. Her body was finally found rotting in the bottom of a well by a hunter. Ilsa could have found her within two hours.

Tracking dogs track. They sniff the ground for scent left behind. Rain, other animals, search parties and time all work to obscure the scent on the ground. Scenting dogs do not rely on the ground to locate their find. They sniff wafts of scent from the air. It is a constantly renewed resource of scent that is not dependent on stumbling upon an area that the sought person had passed through. A woman in a well releases scent much like a fire releases smoke up a chimney. It is a constant release with a well defined pinpoint location.

Needless to say, I am disappointed at the official response, but I refuse to become discouraged.