Remi the Sniffing Super Sleuth

Our perceptions of the average police dog are usually one of a German Shepherd or a Malinois, ready to pursue and stop a criminal. These are all-purpose dogs and can be used for other tasks, including searching for missing people and children. Breeds such as Springer Spaniels are particularly useful when searching for illegal drugs; however, when a specialist tracking dog is required for solving a particularly bizarre problem, then a rather unusual canine is required.

Sadly, there is less use of bloodhounds than there used to be as we rely more and more on modern technology. Drones are a classic example of this heavy reliance on tech, but even a drone cannot always find someone lost in densely wooded areas where vegetation will obscure vision and where caves and buildings are available to hide in.  Weather can also hamper the effectiveness of the reliability of a drone. The use of bloodhounds has also been reduced for financial reasons, as their purpose is limited to tracking, but as I introduce you to Remi, this dog was proof that these lugubrious canines with the incredibly long ears are more than a match for drones. Before we go to the incident of the lost child, I think that it is noteworthy to bring to your attention a different approach to finding missing people, particularly very small children and those suffering from that most hideous affliction, Alzheimer’s.

A novel idea

“Find ‘am scent safe” is a novel idea devised by Dr Coby Webb that ensures dementia patients are easier to find if they wander off. Using a piece of sterile gauze their necks and arms are swabbed, the gauze is sealed in plastic which will remain usable for a year and if they go missing  the gauze is offered to a tracker dog and the vulnerable person can be more easily found.

With an estimated number of 50 million people living with some form of dementia and with that number expected to triple over the next 30 years according to the World Health Organisation, and with 6 out of 10 liable to wander, this innovation could save countless lives and reunite families.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office, Monroe, North Carolina, received a 911 call regarding a small child who was found wandering along the road. He appeared to be well cared for, he was well dressed, didn’t look dishevelled and was not in any way distressed. He did, however, create a bit of a problem for the police officers on the scene as the lad appeared to be non-verbal and unable to tell the officers his name or his address. In a nutshell, they had one small child, no identification, unable to speak, no adult in close proximity and had to be presumed as deliberately missing from home or just lost. Now, in many police forces, the first option would be to place the child in a police car, drive to the police station, secure the infant and start to make inquiries, hoping that they would find the parents or that the parents would report the child missing. This particular police department, however, had a secret weapon and, fortunately, a dog handler with the knowledge, experience and trust in his dog to try something that is rarely tried.

Enter Remi!!

She was asked to do what very few canines have ever done. In fact, she may have started a new trend as search dogs are generally trained to track missing individuals, if the person has been detained and the authorities need to know where they came from, what then?  Following this incident, several police forces are now incorporating this particular idea into tracking training for search dogs.

Reverse tracking

Taking a piece of sterile gauze, Deputy B Belk, Remi’s handler, rubbed the gauze on the child’s forearm and neck, offering it to Remi in the hope that she could track the child’s route in reverse. I must admit I have heard of reverse engineering but not of reverse tracking. It’s highly unusual to be in possession of the individual and then try to find where that person came from.

Remi took no time at all and led everyone to the child’s home, half a mile away, where parents and child were reunited. It appears that the adventurous infant had ‘escaped’ through an open garage door without his parents’ knowledge, and no neglect charges were necessary.