SAR Dog News Published by the National Search Dog Alliance September 2016 Vol. 10, No. 9

Article page PODCASTS 2 Hero Dog Award Finalists 2 Donates Kludde Painting Auction 3 Auction Instructions 4 Inner Peace 4 Newly Certified Handlers & K-9s 5 Never Forget 911 7 K-9 Disaster Preparedness 8 Italian Earthquake K-9 Search 9 Board of Directors and Founding Members 9

NSDA Upcoming Tests 10 NSDA Volunteer Opportunities 10 Kibbles and Bits: 11 Are Whiskers for Reading the Wind? 13 Searcher Shot 14 Book Review 16 Would Your Dog Chose Praise Over Food? 17 You Can’t Trick Your Dog with a Happy Voice 18 Epipen Price Soars 18 Dog Gives Life for Baby in Fire 19 SAR K-9Pepper Dies During Search 20 Shooter of Ohio K-9 Gets 45 Yrs. In Prison 20 VA Police Justified in Death of K-9’s Killer 21

Zika…still 22 A New Squeaky Toy? 23 The Last Howl 23

Board 2016 Meeting Dates October 6

November 3 December 1

Contact Secretary, Jen Skeldon at jskeldon@n-sda.org for the call in number for the

meetings

Bucky Says: There is no snooze button when the dog wants to eat breakfast.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 2

NSDA PODCASTS

This month’s Podcast features an interview with Shay Cook about canine decontamination.

Shay Cook has been a certified canine handler for 18 years with California Rescue Dog

Association (CARDA) with certifications in Trailing, Cadaver and Wilderness Area. She is also a member of Alameda County Sherriff

Search and Rescue (ALCO) and Yosemite Search and Rescue Dog Team (YODOGS) with over 200 searches. She holds degrees in Business

Management and Biology, is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), K-9 First Aid instructor and enjoys doing SAR classes

throughout the state of California. Shay served on the CARDA Board of Directors, is certified in

HAZMAT, FRO, First Responder, CPR and has a SARTECH II certification. Shay has been

training dogs since 1986 and has worked with dogs in Schuzthund, Guide Dogs for the Blind,

obedience, socialization and scent detection. Shay works at UC Berkeley as a Research

Compliance Analyst and enjoys bringing the scientific perspective to dog training.

You can listen (and subscribe) to the Search Dog PODCAST through iTunes and also find the PODCAST on Podbean at

www.saroc.podbean.com. Please send questions, feedback and

suggestions to podcast@n-sda.org

And the PODCASTS stay up indefinitely. Stay

tuned.

Eva Briggs

2016 HERO DOG

Hooch — Emerging Hero

Charity Partner: Pets for Patriots Sponsor: Merial, maker of NexGard® [afoxolaner] Chewables

Location: Tehachapi, California

Zach Skow, of Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue, was

alerted about the French Mastiff Hooch and was told that the dog wouldn’t eat or drink, and

would instead thrash his food and water bowls around like a maniac. He was 35 pounds underweight –dehydrated and severely

malnourished. When taken to the vet, he was sedated to ready him for x-rays, and it was discovered that Hooch’s tongue had been

savagely removed at its base, likely in an attempt to prime him for the role of a bait dog. After using a feeding tube it was

discovered that Hooch could be hand-fed! He tilts his head back while Zach places a handful of food in the back of Hooch’s throat and they let

gravity do the rest. Hooch works with autistic, abused and special needs children. Hooch is known for showing patience and kindness and is

proof that anything can be overcome. - - - -

NSDA wants to thank Elizabeth Fossett

and K-9 Kobuk for their hard work in representing NSDA and SAR dogs across the country. Also, by being the Finalist in

the Search and Rescue Category, they raised $2,500 for NSDA to use towards

our Evaluator travel costs for next year. Way to go Kobuk!

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 3

DONATED KLUDDE PAINTING TO BE AUCTIONED How many people do you know who can point to an original painting on their wall and

say that it was painted by the famous painting dog named Kludde? Who or what is a Kludde? ABOUT KLUDDE’S ACTIVITIES Kludde (pronounced clue-d) is a five year old Dutch Shepherd dog. He comes from a well known police

kennel in the Netherlands and is a competition dog. He does protection, sports, tracking, searching, jumping, and for fun --- painting.

ABOUT SUPER KLUDDE French Ring 3, Mondio Ring 3, Stoberprufung 3, Tracking 3, Companion Dog, Ultimate Jumper, Super Elite and Top Gun dock dog.

ABOUT KLUDDE’S ART Kludde usually paints in the shower since he is an enthusiastic painter and sometimes paints on canvas

too. He started painting in early 2016 and his technique is maturing. ABOUT KLUDDE’S “MOM”

I was introduced to non-pet dogs through search and rescue decades ago. I began on a team doing base support work then began working with dogs. Although I do not do search work now, I have great

appreciation for the time and dedication of all those performing this needed service. ABOUT KLUDE’S HISTORY

Now, Kludde has donated to the National Search Dog Alliance the chance to

raise funds to support the Alliance’s search and rescue K-9 education, testing and certification expenses.

See the next page for your chance to own a Kludde . . . . .

Kludde donated a "Thin Blue Line" painting (right) to Combat Canines to support their efforts to help U.S.

retired Military Working Dogs (MWD), Contract Working Dogs (CWD), and Law Enforcement (LE)

K-9's live a higher quality of life after retirement.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 4

THIS IS THE DONATED, ORIGINAL KLUDDE PAINTING THAT CAN BE YOURS.

HERE’S HOW:

Size: 12” x 15”, including frame

INNER PEACE

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people

with your troubles, If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame

without resentment, If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without alcohol, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

THEN YOU ARE PROBABLY THE FAMILY DOG.

Handle every stressful situation like a dog

BIDDING OPENS September 15th, 2016 Last bid accepted: October 10, 2016

at 9:00 PM Eastern Send bids to snelling@n-sda.org

Include: Your name Your email address

Your bid amount All bidders will be notified twice

weekly of the current highest bid. Your name will not be used publicly

without your permission.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 5

WASHINGTON

Bob Calkins and K-9 Ruger Area II

WASHINGTON Dena Haney & K-9 Daily LAND HRD

ALASKA

Donna Cramer and K-9 Kip Water HRD

HAWAII Azi and Jim Turturici and K-9 Jethro

Area/HR Aware

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 6

ALASKA

Dolly Lefever and K-9 Taku Land HRD

MONTANA Christoper “Opie” Jahn and K-9 Olaf Large Area/HR

ALASKA

Vicky Parks and K-9 Bettles Area II, Land HRD

Dogs and people can come into your life as blessings or lessons. We learn things from both, but honestly, dogs have taught me much more about being a better person than people ever have.

C. Goede

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 7

NEVER FORGET 9/11

Saying thanks to the 350 rescue dogs who responded to 9/11

WEST ORANGE, New Jersey — Pieces of World

Trade Center steel, bronze statues, gardens, and plaques across the country have been dedicated to the memory of the lives lost on

September 11, 2001, and to the rescuers who responded to the Twin Towers that day to save them. Now, the hundreds of four-legged

responders to the 9/11 terror attacks are being commemorated, too.

"Today we pay tribute to the roughly 350 search and rescue dogs that worked tireless hours trying to locate survivors amid the twisted pile of

steel beams, concrete and ash where the World Trade Center once stood, in addition to the Pentagon," New Jersey Attorney General

Christopher S. Porrino said in a release about the dedication.

"During those harrowing efforts, various

handlers stated they were so grateful to have a canine partner just to help them get through it."

"In our lives, dogs become part of our family, are trusted friends and played an integral role in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero

and the Pentagon," County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said in a statement. "This statue will ensure their contributions during that ordeal are

always remembered." The bronze statue weighs about 5,000 pounds,

county officials said. It is four-feet tall, and sits on a one-foot block of granite. The statue, designed by Oregon-based artist Jay Warren,

was paid for through corporate donations.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 8

"Search dogs covered 16 acres of land at Ground Zero covered with metal and debris, and went where humans could not go," Newark

Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in the release. "This is a fitting way to remember how many families gained some sort of closure

because of the work by dogs." Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media

K-9 DISASTER

PREPAREDNESS In light of all the recent hurricanes and wildfires,

it is time to check the inventory of our disaster

preparedness. As SAR handlers, we have a

container for our K-9 but does it

have everything the dog will need

for a lenghy time away from home? Most of

these contain enough to sustain you and your canine for 72 hours but, if you live in the disaster area, your stay away from home and

supplies could be longer so you’ll need more of everything. Do you have other pets who will need things if you have to evacuate?

Here are some suggestions of items to keep in the ready for a quick evacuation in case of a

disaster.

Pack a K-9/pet-to-go emergency kit for each

animal in a waterproof container. Include:

supply of pet food.

This is best packed in individual servings

for preservation purposes.

safety harness with carabiners attached,

if possible.

bottled water: this can be tap water from your home in bottles filled before the

water may have been contaminated Waste cleanup device

any medications

proof of ownership document

medical records

recent picture of your K-9 and other pets

for identification purposes. Your K-9’s

SAR ID comes in handy here.

Preparedness long before disaster strikes is also

essential for you and your canine’s safety.

If your dog is micro-chipped, make sure

your address and telephone number with

the company are correct.

Update infop on dog’s collar tab.

Many disaster shelters do not allow pets

so plan accordingly.

Prepare a list of pet friendly

accommodations.

Put a pet decal on your front door so

emergency responders will know to check

for animals inside the home. If you get

your K-9 and pet(s) out before rescuers

arrive, write EVACUATED on the decal.

If you keep all these items together in a safe place close to your exit, then it should be easy to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Fires, floods,

tornados , hurricanes, etc. will not wait for us to gather essentials and possessions.

Source: Petmd.com

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 9

ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE K-9 SEARCH Leo, the black Labrador, helped locate an eight-

year-old girl named Georgia under the rubble in Pescara del Tronto, a village that was destroyed by the quake. Georgia had been trapped for

sixteen (16) hours in the ruins of her family home.

"Yesterday we were given the information that under a two-story collapsed house in Pescara

del Tronto there were two missing girls. Immediately we went to the location and Leo, in less than 40 seconds, gave us a strong signal.

With our colleagues from the Reparto Mobile Senigallia and the firemen, we dug with our bare hands for nine hours and, at the end, we were

able to find the girl."

MashableUK by Tim Chester August 26

Board of Directors— OFFICERS Susan Fleming, President, Pennsylvania suefleming@n-sda.org Terry Crooks, Vice-President, Montana tcrooks@n-sda.org Jen Skeldon, Secretary, Idaho jskeldon@n-sda.org Julie Gibson, Treasurer, Idaho DIRECTORS Bridget Jackson, Missouri jamdogs@hotmail.com Heather Proper-VanValkenberg, Pennsylvania vankuturidgebacks@gn-sda.org Kathleen Kelsey, Missouri

kathleenmkelsey@gmail.com Tricia Heldman

theldman@n-sda.org Norma Snelling

snelling@n-sda.org Romeo Mejia rmejia@n-sda.org

Founding Members—

K-9 Thor, Eileen M. Nobles, Susan Bulanda K-9 Roo, Leslie Godchaux, Brian R. Hendrickson Continental Kennel Club, Inc., K-9 River, K-9 Persha; Jan Thompson, K-9 Cali, Peggy Ann Buchman; K-9 Geist

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 10

Testing, Training Seminars & Conferences Reach over 1,360 SAR K-9 handlers. List your Tests, Training seminars and conferences

in the SAR Dog News Contact Norma Snelling at: snelling@olypen.com

2016

Date Tests Location Contact Email/Phone

Sept 30-

Oct 2

Area, Trailing, Water & Land HR, Gun

Source Residue Swan Valley, ID Janet Yatchak neo1sark9@outlook.com

Oct 29-30

Land HRD

Sarasota, FL

Janet Wyatt

Nevermore34241@verizon.net

941-922-3161

Oct. 9-10

Area, Land HRD

San Diego, CA

Lenore Ceithaml

Sargoldenk9@earthlink.net

Oct. 15-16 Area, Disaster, Land, Water, Trailing Atterbury, IN Heather

Suedkamp hsuedkamp@aol.com

2016 Date Seminars Location Contact Email/Phone

Sept 17-18 K9430 Disaster Techniques Advanced Camp Atterbury, IN

Lillian Hardy lhardy@dhs.in.gov

812-526-0013

Sept 18-23 CSAR 2016 Seminar Air Scent, Trailing,

HRD, Water Recovery Rosholt, WI

Wisconsin

Lions Camp

sarbuddy@sbcglobal.net

Sept 25-30

2016 All Breed Canine Multi-discipline

Holiday Lake

Appomattox, VA

Tim & Suzy

Perry

olddominionsar@hotmail.com

615-452-9116

Bob Urban 440-413-1973

NSDA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Newsletter Editor Social Media Specialist

Please contact Susan Fleming at suefleming@n-sda.org

Oct 5-9 NSI K-9 Land HRD Seymour, IN Maryln Allen

Adams

mallenadams@NSK9ta.com

For more Evaluator information contact Heather at: vankuturidgebacks@gmail.com

For more Testing information, contact Rena at: davefe@cableone.net

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 11

KIBBLES & BITS by Susan Bulanda

To my loyal readers – Do you have any subjects that you would like me to cover? Send them to me at susanb21@juno.com with K & B in the subject line.

For a change, this month I will not review a dog breed. If anyone wishes to have a specific breed reviewed, please email me.

This month I am going to share some thoughts that I hope my readers will take to heart about volunteering and volunteer organizations. My husband Larry and I have been responsible for running

two units for over a twenty-year period. We have also been members of volunteer organizations for even longer. We have seen groups start very small and grow to a national level and have both been involved in this situation.

When a volunteer group is small and local, or even small and national, it is fairly easy to get things done. The core group of people typically gets along, has the same goals and sees the needs of the

group plainly. The goal is always to get more people involved so that the services offered can be improved and the work load distributed to more people so that each person has less to do. A well run organization has leaders whose job it is to define what needs to be done, delegate the work to the

members who are best able to do the jobs and see that the tasks are completed in a timely fashion. As the group grows, the methods and procedures or critical methodologies and policies are revised and

expanded as needed. These documents control the organization, not individuals. Individuals ensure that the documents are followed properly.

When the group grows to the point that there are enough people to run the organization and there are members who are not part of the leadership, the group has reached its initial goal. At this point the increasing membership may

rotate in and out of leadership positions, but there should not be a lack of members to fill leadership and administrative roles. This however is when the

problems start to arise. Members may enjoy being a part of the organization and enjoy the benefits that the organization offers, but lose sight of the fact that volunteers are handling the daily tasks which increase with the addition of

new members.

Norma Snelling and Dee Wild work on website.

The next step in the growth of an organization is when there are enough members to make the

organization a viable, large group that can have members across the country, but the group does not yet have a large enough membership base to hire administrative personnel. Even though a group may be a volunteer group, they still have daily expenses, all of which must be covered by membership dues,

fund raising events and the sale of products if the group offers them. It is at this point that an organization may fail because the people doing the work are overloaded due to the size of the group.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 12

This is the most difficult stage. (Keep in mind that volunteer groups must be run the same as a for-profit business.) Failure comes because members do not realize, or forget, that volunteers are running the group. These members want the benefit of the group but do not want to help ease the burden that

the working members shoulder. It is a statistical fact that in almost every volunteer organization, 10% of the people do all of the work. As the membership grows, the number of people that make up the 10% should increase, but often it does not. Members become used to someone else doing the work.

The activities of the group are volunteer (in our case searching and running local units) and members typically hold down full time jobs and have families as well. But the volunteers who run the large “umbrella” group also have local units, jobs and families, as well as their dedication to the “umbrella”

group. This causes burnout and if new people do not fill the positions that are needed, the group as a whole can fail.

It is at this level that more problems arise. Members who are not involved in running the group do not see the amount of work that is required, work that could be broken down into manageable projects and

delegated if enough people volunteered. But they do see that some things are not being done or done in a timely fashion and they complain instead of asking what they can do to help.

This adds stress to the people who are stepping up to the plate and contributes to burn out. The other thing that happens is that members may not agree with how things are being done and cause strife in the organization. This also contributes to burnout for the people who are doing the tasks.

Some people volunteer to do a job but are not competent to do it properly. It is critical that volunteers only volunteer for tasks that they are capable of doing or of learning. A job that is not done properly

makes double the work for someone else and causes members to become upset because the task was not done properly.

If members really care about the organization, they should volunteer to do the job for at least a year. It is up to the leadership to interview the volunteer to determine if they are able to complete the task. If the leadership decides that someone else is better qualified, then that decision should be accepted

without hard feelings. By the same token, if a person volunteers to do a job they must see it through and do it according to the established method.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 13

If the volunteer has a better way or a better idea, it should be presented to the leadership and wait for a decision. To operate any other way causes failure in the organization. There will always be personality clashes and strong opinions. But they should be put aside and/or handled in a professional

manner because to do otherwise will jeopardize the group as a whole. Managing volunteers is not an easy task. In the corporate world, people who do not work out can be

fired. In the volunteer world it is not easy to relieve someone of a position because they fail to do the task or are not qualified.

I hope that this article has helped some of our members understand the complexity of running an organization such as NSDA and will inspire more people to volunteer to help. I hope at least, that the members will appreciate all of the hard work that our leadership is doing to keep NSDA a viable,

respected organization.

We all have talents and gifts. It is very rewarding to share them for the benefit of the entire group. After all, we all have the same passion for SAR work.

ARE WHISKERS FOR READING

WIND? By Susan Bulanda

In all K-9 work, it has been the general

assumption that dogs use their nose to detect the direction of scent that is carried on the wind.

However, in a first ever study, it has been determined that rats use their whiskers.

According to the study, “Many animals appear to have an impressive ability to follow the wind to find food, avoid predators, and connect with

potential mates. Until now, however,

no study had examined how land mammals

know the direction of the wind. New

research finds that an important part of this

ability lies in an animal's whiskers.” Older research has concluded that cats and

other animals use their whiskers as feelers to determine how wide an opening is so that they can decide if they can fit through the opening or

not. I do not know if this is still believed to be true or not, but it makes sense.

The new study makes the assumption that cats and dogs also use their whiskers to detect air flow since the biological aspect of whiskers is

almost the same in dogs and cats as it is in rats.

This is an interesting study and worth considering when working our SAR dogs.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160824160248.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+

sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fanimals+%28Animals+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 14

SEARCHER SHOT Nevada City, California

August 9th: The search for a missing hiker in Nevada County was suspended Wednesday for searcher safety after a search and rescue team

volunteer was shot in the hip in a state park,

officials said. Steve Wolf, 69, was part of a three-member

volunteer search team from Placer County helping to look for Timothy Hansston, 75, who has been missing since August 4 and was last

known to be hiking the South Yuba River, Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Dena Erwin said.

Ken Lund, NewsGrio; www.flickr.com

While the group was searching in a steep portion of the South Yuba River on the fifth day

of the search, two shots were heard in the canyon. Wolf went to the ground, reporting that he had been shot in the hip, Erwin said.

The other two volunteers took cover and radioed

for help.

The team members sheltered in place as medical units, as well as Special Enforcement teams from Placer and Nevada counties, made

their way into the area to extricate them. The

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 15

trio, who were in a remote area that was hard to

access, were rescued after dark by a law enforcement helicopter using GPS and heat seeking sensors.

Wolf, who was conscious after the shooting, was

airlifted to a hospital, where he underwent surgery and his condition

was stabilized, Erwin said.

SAR Volunteer Steve Wolff photo courtesy

Placer County Sheriff's Dept.

Wolf has been searching as a volunteer for over ten years. He is a Type

1 certified searcher and considered one of the best on the Placer team, according to the Sheriff's Office. "Steve was recently asked to

promote to the Search and Rescue command and control Overhead Team, but declined the offer because he felt so passionately about

being a ground-level searcher."

Message from Steve’s wife c/o Mark Calvo, CARDA: “He has verbalized how lucky he is to

be here. He talked a lot about what a great team effort it was to get him out and remembers the risks everyone took to get him

here. “

“From Nevada County today as well as

Lieutenant Kevin Borden from Placer County, they walked me through what occurred to get Steven out of the canyon. It is truly the stuff of

movies. According to Jerry and Kevin, the team

said it was the scariest thing they had ever done. I am so grateful to them for pushing the envelope. For the team that drug him down the

mountain without a back board and in chest deep water hoisted him into the helicopter to the helicopter pilot that is truly a wizard to have

been able to set the helicopter down the way he did, my heart is in my throat with gratitude. He is so lucky to have had such support. We are all

doing much better today now that he is ok. Thanks again for your well wishes.”

The area along the south fork of the Yuba River became a crime scene investigation. Multi agency tactical teams from both Nevada and

Placer County conducted a search of the area for the shooter. Helicopters were used to

transport teams to the area where the shooter remained at large late Tuesday and used heat-detecting devices to try to locate him.

Authorities warned people to stay out of the river canyon area during the search.

Although a motive is unknown, law enforcement explained that the remote location is attractive

to those wanting to stay out of sight. “We do have, and have had historically, marijuana grows in that area. It is federal land, so they tend to

be drug trafficking organizations. We also have miners, and they are going to be protecting their mining interests as well as sovereign citizens

who want to be left off the radar,” said Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal. The area is about 85

miles west of Reno. Several rumors that have surfaced as a result of

this incident….Nevada County Sheriff Royal made it clear, there was absolutely NO information what so ever known that there may

be an armed subject in the area that may be a threat to SAR volunteers conducting the search for the missing hiker. This incident is an

isolated shooting without any known motive. Sheriff Royal emphasized that this was not a “known hostile area” and volunteers were

definitely not deliberately put into harm’s way. Such rumors have surfaced and the Nevada

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 16

County Sheriff’s Office as well as Cal OES are

appalled that such would be insinuated. “So if you hear or become aware of any such rumor, please assist us in quashing it as they are

completely and totally false.” Search and rescue missions in remote

wilderness areas are inherently dangerous, not only from the environment and terrain but also from animals and unfortunately criminals. We

all need to be on highest alert and be careful out there. Yet we do not need to exasperate this issue by hanging onto false rumors and

causing unnecessary worry of our courageous volunteers based upon one isolated, most

bizarre incident.

Sources: PoliceOne.com; Sacramento Bee; KRCA; McClatchy-Tribune News Service; AP/News4-

FOX11; Auburn Journal, RGJ.com

Book Review by Susan Bulanda

K9 Investigation Errors: A Manual for Avoiding Mistakes, by Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak, Brush Education, Inc.; 256 pgs.; ISBN: 978-1-

55059-672-4, $44.95 How can you make a good book better? Resi

Gerritsen and Ruud Haak who wrote K9 Fraud, have accomplished that with their updated book,

K9 Investigation Errors. They cover many important points in handling dogs that are common mistakes. For example, they explain

how dogs can read human gestures, even the slightest ones (the Clever Hans Effect) which can cause a false response from a dog. They

review some famous cases in the United States and show how the handler or poor training misled authorities, sometimes resulting in the

arrest of the wrong person. What I especially liked was their comments that

dog handlers who claim fantastic results with

their dogs (typically false) influence authorities

who believe them and then think that properly trained dogs who cannot perform to that level are not as good, when in fact the properly

trained and handled dogs are correct. Another interesting point that they bring out in

their book is what they call failure scents. This is when a dog associates a scent with failure and by association can lead to the dog’s poor

performance. This is the same as people associating a benign event, song, scent or even food with a bad experience and react to the

memory that it triggers.

There is so much information in this book that I strongly recommend handlers of all disciplines read this book and evaluate how they can

improve their dogs and their handling skills.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 17

The book is a high quality book, as is typical of Brush Education Publications, with quality

binding, pages and soft cover. It is well edited with no typo’s or other common mistakes that authors tend to make when writing. It is always

a pleasure to review a Brush Education book. The chapters are:

Scent-Identification Lineups The Dutch Training Method for Scent Identification

Dogs’ Responsiveness to Human Gestures Tracking Dogs in Crime Investigations Scent Research and Tracking Experiments

Errors in Mantrailing Human Odor and Dogs’ Scent Perception

Scent Problems and Training Problems Preventing Investigation Errors

Would Your Dog Choose Praise Over Food?

In news sure to confirm many a dog lover's suspicions, a study of dog preferences saw

many canines opting for a pat on the head instead of a bite to eat.

Is the bond our dogs seem to share with us just based on food -- people merely a way to score a snack -- or is there really a deeper relationship

between humans and their smart canine friends? That question was at the root of new research from scientists at Emory University.

"One theory about dogs is that they are

primarily Pavlovian machines. They just want food and their owners are simply the means to get it," said the lead author of the study, Emory

neuroscientist Gregory Berns, in a statement. "Another, more current, view of their behavior is that dogs value human contact in and of itself."

To see if the latter view holds up, Berns and his

team at the Dog Project in Emory's psychology department put a couple of toys and a common

household item to good use. They

trained a group of dogs to associate a toy truck with a food reward, a toy

knight with verbal praise and a

hairbrush with no reward as a control item.

Once trained on the items, it was time for each dog to spend some time in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. (In earlier

work, The Dog Project was the first to train dogs, without being bound or sedated, to

remain still in a scanner while their brain activity was examined.)

Each of the dogs was tested 32 times for each of the three items, as the scanner recorded their neural activity.

Then, in a behavioral test, each dog was tested with a Y-shaped maze in a room. At one tip of

the Y was their owner and at the other a bowl of food. Whenever a dog went to its owner first, it received praise. The dogs were repeatedly let

loose in this maze, their choices recorded. "Out of the 13 dogs that completed the study,"

said Berns, "we found that most of them either preferred praise from their owners over food, or

they appeared to like both equally. Only two of the dogs were real chowhounds," he added, "showing a strong preference for the food."

Interestingly, the fMRI results matched up well with the Y-maze tests, the dogs' brain activity

correlating with their choices in the maze. "Dogs are individuals, and their neurological

profiles fit the behavioral choices they make," said Berns. "Most of the dogs alternated between food and owner, but the dogs with the

strongest neural response to praise chose to go

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 18

to their owners 80 to 90 percent of the time. It shows the importance of social reward and

praise to dogs. It may be analogous to how we humans feel when someone praises us." It seems there may just be something to the

people-dog bond after all. Results of the study have been published in the

journal Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. http://www.seeker.com/would-your-dog-choose-praise-over-food-1976786575.html

source: ANIMALS Aug 17, 2016

EPIPEN PRICE SOARS The price of an EpiPen, which contains medication that reverses the effects of an allergic reaction, has dramatically increased.

The cost used to be a little more than $100 a few years ago. Now it may cost more than $600 at local pharmacies.

YOU CAN’T TRICK YOUR DOG BY BEING MEAN IN A HAPPY

VOICE Yes, they can in fact tell what you’re

saying By Angela Chen

Dogs really can understand what we’re saying to them, according to a new study that seems to confirm the dearest wish of many a dog-lover.

And yes, that does mean if you say a mean thing to a dog in a friendly tone, the dog knows.

Researchers led by Attila Andics at Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University put dogs in fMRI scanners after training them to sit still,

according to a study published in Science. The scientists recorded how the dogs’ brains reacted to hearing their trainer say different

combinations of human words in different tones. The finding should cheer up anyone who regularly tells their Pekingese about their day:

dogs can recognize the meaning of different words and intonations. And their brains do so in

a way similar to how our human brains process language.

The researchers recruited 13 dogs of varying breeds (border collies, golden retrievers, a German shepherd) from one to 12 years old.

They played recordings for the dogs of their trainer

talking to them in

different

combinations of positive and neutral words and tones. For example, in one recording the trainer might use positive words like "well done!" with a

positive or higher-pitched tone. In another, she might use neutral conjunction words like "if" and "yet" with a positive tone.

The scan results showed that dogs, like humans, process vocabulary and tone with different sides

of the brain and then combine the information to find meaning. In humans, the left

hemisphere holds Broca’s area, which is heavily used for understanding language.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 19

Dogs, too, use the left side of their brain to process vocabulary, and recognize each word as distinct. They also process tone separately in the right side of the brain, just like us.

Most importantly, dogs are smart enough not to be tricked by gibberish said in a happy voice. They can put vocabulary and tone together and the reward areas of their brains are most active when they hear

both positive words and positive tones. One reward area didn’t activate at all if positive words and positive tones weren’t used. A different area activated just a tiny bit when they heard positive words with neutral tone and all neutral tones. But even that area didn’t respond when there were neutral

words with a positive tone so saying "wow, you messed up again" in the world’s sweetest voice isn’t fooling anyone.

Aside from this being heartening news for man’s best friend, the study authors think the finding has some relevance for us bipeds, too. Domestication might have helped dogs learn to process language in

both parts of the brain but it’s unlikely that it’s the sole reason behind it, they say. This suggests that maybe it wasn’t human language that made our brains process speech with both sides. Rather, it might be that many animals — including humans and dogs — use the same areas to process language.

www.theverge.com August 29

DOG GIVES LIFE FOR BABY IN FIRE

Viv and Polo Erika Poremski

A family dog has died after shielding an 8-

month-old baby from a house fire that broke out in a Baltimore two-story rowhome. Erika Poremski said she had stepped outside to her

car when she turned around to find the house in flames, according to CBS News. Her eight-month-old daughter Viviana was still inside with

the dog, Polo. A Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman

said, when crews arrived at the two-story rowhome, it was already engulfed in heavy fire and smoke. When they were told a child was

trapped on the second floor, they entered and found Poremski’s dog, Polo, in the room

covering the infant with his own body. The baby only suffered burns on her arm and

side because of the dog’s protection. “He stayed with her the whole time in the bedroom and wouldn’t even come downstairs to get out the

door,” Poremski said. Paramedics were able to revive Viviana, who has

severe burns on her face, arm and side. But

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 20

Polo did not survive the fire. Ms. Poremski has been released from the

hospital and Viv is in ICU at the children’s hospital. “There is a lot of unknown concerning Viv. She is burned on 19 percent of her body

and is not awake as they are doing a lot of testing.” Poremski said her daughter's condition is still serious and will be monitored day to day.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation,

the report said. WBALTV 11 Peoplepets b y A m y J a m i e s o n TIME U.S. MARYLAND Katie Reilly

SAR K-9 PEPPER DIES DURING SEARCH

August 26

Image courtesy: Riverside County Sheriff's Department

GOOD HOPE, CA- A volunteer search dog was hit by a vehicle and killed during an investigation in Good Hope, authorities said this week.

Pepper, a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever, and her owner were assisting the Riverside County Sheriff's Department with an

investigation west of Perris when she was struck Wednesday, August 24.

Deputy Mike Vasquez said the Sheriff's

Department will not divulge where Pepper was

hit at this time due to the ongoing investigation. "The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is

saddened by this tragic accident and appreciative of the volunteer services provided by Pepper and the countless volunteer dogs and

handlers who selflessly serve the communities of Riverside County," Vasquez said.

Pepper was a part of Riverside County Search Dogs, a nonprofit organization that provides

search and rescue services to the Sheriff's Department, according to the organization's website. Lake Elsinore Patch Renee Schiavone

Man who fatally shot Ohio K-9 gets

45 years in prison

CANTON, Ohio — The man who sparked national outrage when he shot and killed a

Canton police dog during a burglary in January was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Kelontre D. Barefield, 23, pleaded guilty to a list of charges stemming from multiple court cases

on Wednesday. Specific to K-9 Jethro’s death, Barefield was sentenced to six years — the maximum allowed by state law.

(Photo/Canton Police Department)

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 21

K-9 Jethro was among a group of officers, including his handler Ryan Davis, who responded to a burglary in Canton on January.

9. Barefield fired at officers and injured the dog with four gunshot wounds. Jethro, who was trained as an attack dog, died after a daylong

struggle to recover.

The canine’s death drew hundreds to a public funeral in Canton. Many police from in- and out-

of-state attended the service with their own police dogs.

State lawmakers responded to the national outrage against Barefield by introducing

legislation to strengthen the sentence for killing police dogs.

Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin G. Farmer labeled Barefield’s crimes as “intolerable” and accused him of putting at risk the “safety

and security” of the public and police, according to the Canton Repository. She defended her sentence by pointing out Jethro’s death,

Barefield’s firing at police officers and the “terror” he inflicted via his crimes. Akron Beacon Journal PoliceOne.com K-9COP Magazine

Virginia Police Justified

In Death of K-9’s Killer

On August 15, 2016, the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office announced that Norfolk Police were justified in shooting a

perpetrator in January after he shot and killed a police dog t the end of a 7-1/2 hour standoff. The statement said that the Officer properly

Norfolk VA Police K-9 Kriger

Photo credit: Courtesy Photos

used deadly force when he shot the man three times because the perpetrator had shot the dog and was moving his handgun toward officers.

Sources: Officer.com, The Virginian Pilot

NOTE: Does your state have a law making it a felony to harm or kill a police dog in the performance of its duties? Does this law include SAR dogs? If a law is in place for punishment of someone who harms a police K-9, this it is a simple matter to amend the legislation to include SAR dogs.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 22

ZIKA…still

While summer may be coming to a close, the Zika Virus is still with us…especially in the

Deep South and the Southwest United States. As long as the weather is warm/hot and there are water sources, the mosquito carriers of

this disease will be with us. Below is information relating to both human and canine exposure to the mosquito carrying Zika.

History: The Zika Virus was first discovered

in 1947 and is named after the Zika Forest in Uganda. In 1952, the first human cases of

Zika were detected. To date, no infections have been detected in dogs.

How Zika Spreads

Zika can be transmitted through: Mosquito bites: Zika is spread mostly

by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). These mosquitoes

are aggressive daytime biters as well as biting at night.

From a pregnant woman to

her fetus causing serious birth defects Sex Blood transfusion (very likely, but not

confirmed)

Zika Symptoms

Many people infected with Zika virus won’t

have symptoms or will only have mild

symptoms. The most common symptoms of

Zika are:

Fever Rash

Joint pain Conjunctivitis (red eyes)

Other symptoms include:

Muscle pain Headache

Symptoms can last for several days to a week. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to

the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika.

Once a person has been infected with Zika, they are likely to be protected from future infections.

There is no specific medicine or vaccine for Zika virus. Treat the symptoms:

Get plenty of rest.

Drink fluids to prevent dehydration.

Take medicine such as acetaminophen to reduce fever and pain.

Do not take aspirin or other non-

steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

If you are taking medicine for another

medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before taking additional medication.

According to Dr. John W. McCall of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, veterinarians and others of their staff

are receiving questions about Zika virus because there is concern and understandable curiosity about whether dogs are at risk. “We

do not have any evidence that pets are at risk, but those questions are getting asked,” said

Dr. McCall. In a study for Ceva Animal Health maker of

Vectra 3-D, Dr. McCall found that Vectra 3D was 95% effective in preventing heart worms. But, more importantly, it was also effective as

an insecticide. So if a mosquito touches the dog, the mosquito is not going to survive. “

These exciting results show that we can actually block the transmission of the infection to mosquitoes. This type of product can both

repel the mosquito and kill it before any infective larvae develop.”

Dr. McCall said, “If pet owners just administer a flea and tick control product that also repels and kills mosquitoes, then their dogs get

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 23

another layer of heartworm protection and another layer of comfort.”

John W. McCall, MS, PhD is Professor Emeritus, Department of Infectious Diseases,

College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.

Sources: CDC, dvm360.com, avma.org

A NEW SQUEAKY TOY?

The Stubby squid is a toy-like cephalopod.

Fully grown, they are about 2.36 inches long. This little guy was found about 2,950 feet

below the surface of the northern Pacific. For more information, see

http://www.seeker.com/purple-stubby-squid-charms-submersible-scientists-1974193959.htmT

THE LAST HOWL

By Sue Wolff

Opinions expressed in this column are

those of the author and not necessarily

those of the National Search Dog

Alliance

We’ve all seen the ads…a sad looking dog peering out from behind bars. The appeal is for saving

dog’s which have been abandoned and/or abused. I can’t watch those commercials.

I go to another channel. However I’ve always felt that I would adopt one of those

homeless and abused dogs.

Let me say here that I greatly admire people

who save these animals from extinction and that the animals adopted are well worth any

effort needed to have them become part of a family. Many shelters and rescues screen their adoptive dogs carefully for friendliness and

calmness of demeanor also teaching them how to be sociable with humans as well as other animals. This is also a great place to

look for canines for SAR. When my GSD died of lung cancer and after I

had grieved for her, I began looking at shelters for an adoption. My daughter, who is very good at matching people with the right

animal, found another GSD for me, not from a shelter but rescued straight out of the yard where she had been tied up for the last two

years.

The GSD is a five years old, spayed female. Her owner was in jail and his parents took the dog. This is the extent of my knowledge of

her background.

NSDA SAR DOG NEWS September 2016 Page 24

I thought I was being a savior for this dog

and that she would immediately love me. This was only partially true. Like people, dogs come with baggage. The more you

know what that luggage contains, the easier it will be for you and the dog to adjust to each other.

The dog peed in the house no matter how many times I took her out for a walk, where

she also peed. She was afraid of my kitchen. No one could touch her ribs, her tail, the rest

of her body and especially her feet. When off lead, she ran in frantic circles around the island in my kitchen. So after trying various

holistic and natural medications, the vet put her on “doggie Prozac”.

On the plus side, when I said turn, she did. She also heeled when given that command so she had had some obedience training.

However there was still a lot about her behavior that I did not understand so I contacted Susan Bulanda who is an animal

behaviorist and one of the founding members of NSDA.

In a lengthy phone call, we discussed my dog’s problems and she explained many things about my new canine. The dog is an

alpha and many of her behaviors relate to that. Many other behaviors, such as her

circling my kitchen island, relate to her being tied on a 15 foot, 4 inch diameter rope for at least two years. Susan explained the “zoo

effect” where tigers who have only had a certain area in which to pace will continue to pace that same distance even when moved to

a larger or freer area. My dog was perhaps circling in the same manner as she did while tied up.

Not only did Susan diagnose many of my GSD’s problems but she also offered solutions, which are working well.

She also confirmed what I suspected: it will take 6-12 months of care, compassion, love

and training before the dog and I will be completely in sync.

I knew when I adopted this dog that she needed someone who was home all the time and could devote a lot of attention to her. I

also knew that I could be developing a “Velcro” dog which would forever stick to me

like glue and therefore could progress into a serious case of separation anxiety but I was willing to take on the challenge. And

challenge it has been but we’re getting there, thanks to Susan Bulanda’s help…and it’s all been worth it!

My advice: don’t adopt a rescue dog unless you have a lot of time, understanding and

love to give to that dog. Having an extensive knowledge of the canine’s background is also a very big plus. Do not think that the dog will

immediately take to you and your family but it will require some integration. If starting it in SAR, begin socializing the canine as soon

as possible. If the dog is controllable, take it to Lowes when you shop. They allow dogs and it’s a good place to mix with humans and

often other canines. Do give your new dog lots of love and attention. Be especially

conscious of giving the K-9 positive reinforcement and you should have a long, happy life together.