Book Description

HRD dogs are trained to specifically find the odor of decomposing human remains. HRD dogs are trained to ignore live human scent and animal scent, and only indicate on human remains. These dogs can be used to find human remains related to crime scenes, old missing persons cases, small scent sources, and natural or man-made disaster events. This is the text to learn training and search strategies that work for other HRD handlers. Learn what equipment is helpful from ground-penetrating radar to forestry probes. Explore the behavior of dogs and learn how to read dog behaviors and other nuances through an innovative Canine Ethogram. Explore burial and embalming customs, how the soil affects decomposition, how to prepare training samples in concrete, and how buzzards and butterflies can assist in finding the missing person. Find out what the law has to say about SAR dog handlers. Review the lessons learned by handlers in searches held at Freshkills (after 9/11) and in Hurricane Katrina. This book outlines what other handlers "wish" they had known at the beginning of the SAR dog career. From Crime Scene Preservation to evaluating Human Remains Detection dog teams, explore the industry standard for Search Dogs and their handlers. Handlers from across the United States share their search stories and tips. From certification to side scan sonar, this book reviews the basics of becoming trained, certified, and reliable in Human Remains Detection. This book shares the "inside" story about cadaver dog handlers and their extraordinary canines as they bring home the lost and missing person.