As many of you know I'm a search and rescue dog which means if you get lost, I'll come find you. Well, I also do recovery, if you drown or pass on land, I'll come find you. Yes, it's stinky work but I must tell you, some live smell just as bad. The past two weeks I've unfortunately been on two drownings, one in Maury Co. and one in Bedford Co. A mid 50's man went into the Duck River on his ATV, the ATV has been found but he has not. This happened at the end of March so he's been gone for awhile. The Duck River has also flooded twice since then. I worked for three hours on the boat a few miles on the Duck River on Tuesday of this past week and got nothing. The two guys that were in the boat with us were very nice and would pet my butt and head every so often which was nice. My Mama Nikki sounded so proud of me, she should have been since she got me up at 5am and after the search we had to work with a couple of clients with some pretty but a little obnoxious dogs, my opinion only because they bark at me. Anyway, the missing man still hasn't been found. We're praying for his family.
The lady in Maury Co. allegedley jumped off a bridge two weeks ago, she was also in her mid 50's. We were out searching for her within four days and this was the first water search I'd had in three years. Mama Nikki was a little nervous that I wasn't going to do my best because it had been so long but I tried telling her that just because I haven't worked on the water I still work cadaver and I know what I'm looking for. So, we started our search area and I immediately smelled what I was supposed to smell and so I laid down, which is what I do to tell my mama that I've found the scent. So I laid down and looked for my treat. She told me "good girl" and "get back to work" so I stood back up and smelled the appropriate scent and so I laid down again. I did get a treat that time. Mama made them turn the boat around and go back downstream to search that area again. I don't know why she makes me go back over the spot several times but she does. The second trip I alerted again and by the third time my Mama Nikki had the nerve to tell me, "I don't believe you, get to work." I have never...so, I did what any working dog would do, I looked her straight in the eye, growled and laid down. Needless to say, the look on her face was priceless. I earned my treat and we didn't have to search that area again.
Well, after I was finished my buddy Dingo got in the boat with his Daddy Bill and searched the same area of course neither one of them knew where I had alerted. Mama Nikki went with them and she saw Dingo alert in the same area. So now it was up to Mama Nikki to tell the detectives where this body could be located but she was having a problem giving a general area because of the differences in depth and the speed of the current, but she did the best she could and then we went off to work with clients. I'm happy to say that the body of our missing woman was located on Weds. and she was floating near the location we told them to look and Mama Nikki was really proud of me then!
So that is my two weeks worth of work. Drownings, SAR training, and clients with dogs that like to bark and lunge at me. I'm taking a break this weekend by staying with my ever so favorite Aunt Shirley for some much needed R&R.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday weekend!
God Bless.
TBAA
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