A wonderful part of my life and a portion of my professional development has been involved with K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR). Search and Rescue is using a dog to find lost people. These people may have wandered away from a campsite, became disorientated while hunting, got lost going for a walk, or people who deliberately try to hide. The Search and Rescue Team offers the assistance of the handler's skills and the dog's incredible ability to smell. We have 5 million olfactory cells in our noses which enable us to smell. The average dog has well over 100 million olfactory cells. We cannot imagine what they can comprehend of their environment by a simple sniff (like the bird that landed on the piece of grass two days ago, or the man and the dog that sat on a bench for half and hour yesterday).

I have been involved in Search and Rescue since the late 1970's. My previous dog, Cheetah Ann (a Pharaoh Hound) and my present dog, Michelle (Doberman) were avid and highly trained searchers. My puppy, Michael (Doberman) is currently in training. The training is for developing the ability to relate their knowledge to me and following the rules of when, where and what to search for.

I started handling SAR dogs on a voluntary basis and was part of three SAR Teams. I co founded Amigo SAR with my friends Eddy Rivera and Frank Lumia. I am presently with the Rockland County Sheriff's Department, Rockland Co., NY.

If you would like to find out more about SAR or read accounts of some of my real searches, please read my book entitled "Michelle and Me," published by the Berkley Press. You can order this book through the Products section of this website.

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