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Theory of Water Search

There are many theories on how a dog can detect the location of a drowningvictim. They all revolve around the same concept that the scent is give offfrom the body in the form of oil. Because oil is lighter than water it will surface

where it evaporates then becomes airborne allowing the dog to detect it. Ourtheory is based upon the fact that all bodies are covered with human oils thatare lighter than water. These oils are given off from the body over a longperiod of time. Water recoveries made with dogs detecting this scent havebeen documented as long as 6 months from the time of the drowning. Allindications suggest that this is by no means the limit of how long the bodymay generate scent or for how long the dogs nose can detect the scent.

The best way to visualize this concept is to think of the USS Arizona. As thisbattleship rests on the bottom of Pearl Harbor it gives off (still to this day) acontinuous release of oil from it tanks. When the oil reaches the surface this

very small drop spreads out across the surface in a bright shiny film that thenevaporates into the air. It has been said that if the wind is in the right directionas you stand on the monument a human nose can smell the oil.

A Water Search Dog is trained to detect the human scent that is releasedfrom the body. This scent appears to be the greatest for the first 12 to 24hours after the drowning. After that, it then starts to level out to a lesser, butsteady level of concentration for a number of weeks where it is believed tothen gradually decrease. Water Search Dogs will of course be the mosteffective if used in the early stages of the recovery operation. However, theycan still be used for a long period of time after the incident. Water SearchDogs are trained to indicate the presence of human scent in a variety ofdifferent ways. These alerts include; barking, whining or whimpering, changesin body posture or pawing at the water.

The Water Search Team consists of a specially trained dog and its handler.This team is trained to work an area so that the dog is going into or across thewind. It is important that there be as little contamination of the area,particularly in the upwind direction. The Command Post and staging areasshould not be located in close proximity to the Search area and in particularshould not be located upwind of the Search area. If divers have already been

searching the water it is recommended that it be allowed to clear of their scentfor 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the temperature and wind conditions. Ifany buoys have been placed in the water it is desirable that they be removedas they will cause contamination of the Search area due to the human scenton them and because they can also cause a visual distraction.

The best conditions for searching will normally be early morning or lateafternoon where the wind is calmer. The best wind conditions are a gentlebreeze and not a gusting wind. A more experienced dog can work in less thanideal conditions and should always be used if that is all that is available. MostCanine Organization will want to search the area with a minimum of 2 dogs

who will work the area separately. This is done so if one dog alerts, the

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second will be used to confirm the location, or to build a pattern of alerts inorder to determine a more precise location.

It is important to remember that the point where the dog alerts is notnecessarily the exact location of the victim. The handler and support team

must calculate the dogs alerts, the affects of the wind and any water current, ifpresent, to determine the most accurate location for the recovery efforts.