Marmaduke Search

A SAR Schip story of the Marmaduke search April 3rd 2006

This past weekend was a real roller coaster ride. At times I walked on
cloud 9 with the Best Of Breed wins. Tuli was so wonderful to show and
fun! I took home the points both days, made some wonderful new friends,
spent time with old ones. And then it was time to drive home.

We had a Judge cancellation with Ms Clark having cancer, she cancelled
all her assignments and we had to make do at the tail end of Betsy Leedy.
It must have been 3:30 pm by the time we got into the ring. And I said
heck, I'll just wait another 30 minutes and do groups too! He was to much
FUN!

Well by the time I loaded, it was well past 6:00 pm and its a long way
home. At first I was elated with success, but as we got into Arkansas, I
had towers of storms and lightning I could see through the dark sky. Even
Daylight savings couldn't give me light all the way. I called Ray

"Hey can you turn on the weather channel and see where the storms are
located?" I sure didn't want to drive into what I was looking at!

"Yes I'll call when I know" and then I waited..and waited..I finally
called my friend Marty! LOL Ray was NOT going to be in a hurry..he never
is. Marty was telling me where the sever storms were, and I could miss
most. I seem to get there right after or ran in front of each set of
storms. It was a hairy ride at times.

At 11:30 I finally pulled in. I was so tired I did only 30 MPH the last
section of hwy 107. And home was so welcome. I put the dogs out and fed
them, put them to bed and dropped into the bed like a rock. I had not had
much sleep in three nights. Little did I know what the morning would
bring.

I got up like normal at 6 :15 am only the time change was 7 :15 and did
all my morning chores. I looked at the computer, shook my head, went back
to bed. I had no more hit the covers when the phone rang.

"Daniel here at OES. Are you the Lady with the Cadaver dogs?"

"Yes sir, what can I do for you?"

"We have 75 to 80% of the homes gone in Green County at Marmaduke and
need dogs to help search the town for 10 missing people."

"Yes Sir, let me see who I can get together and we'll be there" It was
8:30.

After I finally reached Sharon and Marty I was ready to roll. Marty has
just has knee surgery and could not go. Sharon and I both were ready in
less than an hour. Loaded and rolling before 10, it was a long drive to
the northeast corner of Arkansas.

Five dogs sat quietly knowing from our uniforms it was real. The tension
we get before a real search is very readable to the search dogs. Taylor
the Dobe, Cougar the Vizsla, Fox, Magic and Flash the schips.And with the
disaster equipment in place we had a fully loaded car.

At about 1 PM we rolled into the staging area. And within minutes we were
escorted to the first totally wiped off the face of the earth street.
NOTHING remained, just piles of scrap. I reached for my equipment bag and
turned Fox loose. Sharon took the west side of the street I took the
east. and neither looked back. A Radio man, two support rescuers set off
to what had once been homes to look for the missing. It was clear why
they asked for cadaver dogs, not live find dogs. Nothing could have
survived the force of the F4 winds here.

Up, Down, Over, and Through. Fox worked slowly, quietly and with strong
determination. I move things to help him, lifted him up to the top of
what had once been floors and shifted so I could follow him to watch for
his alert or if he needed help. The workers trailed along the now cleared
road; watching, waiting.

One thing about SAR..you have no sense of time. You just work. You
looking only at what your doing, the dog or the piles for bodies. It
dawned that Fox was tiring and thirsty. I called for the water, and sent
the flanker back 10 feet for a "cup" I had spotted in the piles. One of
those funny treasure you think "how could this have survived the
destruction?."

I wiped it clean, admired the thin china with small flowers trailing
over the edges. It held just the right amount of water for Fox. I
carefully replaced it in the house remains, hoping the owner was safe and
would treasure it a little longer. It was time to move on.

At the end of that street I knew it was time to change dogs. Fox and I
stopped to look back on the 3/4 mile we had cleared. Thanking the Lord
above we had no victims so far. I crossed the road to talk with Sharon
to see if she had anything in her sector.

She briefed me as to where she had cleared and I waked back through the
thick of it to give one house another look. A Man stood looking. His very
stillness was a key to the shock and loss. I stopped with Fox who stood
up to touch him. I gave him a hug without words. I just knew that was
what he needed. He turn to hug me back. And the words flowed in despair.
I let him rub Fox and talk. And then with a heavy heart, I gave him
another hugs and told him he was going to be ok. That we were there to
help, as most of us had come as soon as we knew. I knew he just needed to
hear we cared..so I told him what he needed, and then moved on. His image
shall remain with me for a long time. Nothing remained of his place. Not
one brick or item. The house slab was clean as a whistle.

I exchanged dogs. Fox was glad to climb into the crate to rest and Magic
was bouncing off the walls to go work. The contrast is always so amazing.
Both are wonderful at what they do, but Magic LIVES for the job. It was
so easy to turn him loose and call This Way!!

And for the next 30 minutes we were in and out of each pile. I just had
to hurry to keep up, protect him from Army jeeps and slow moving
searcher. Then HIT!! He screeched to a halt and went under a building.
Back out after a few long minutes, and into the house pile. Under the
wall sections and back out to try to go back under another section. I
called in the help and put the leash on him. I had them bring Sharon and
Cougar in to re work it and he too was hitting. Not the HEY MOM..I got a
body. But more interest than we had anywhere else.

The men went to work. First by hand. They removed the top layer and I
turned Magic lose again. And he still wanted under..so I pulled him back
and we brought in the front end shovel. You know the kind with a big
toothed scoop? And the man driving was so careful to gently pull the
building apart. Saving as much as he could of the exposed furniture.

Now remember this house is totaled. Yet I knew what little remained of
this home's possessions was about to be forever destroyed. But we had to
know. I moved on to search other houses close by till they were ready.

When the call came, Magic rushed in and stopped, and standing very still,
I could see the nose moving. Slowly he turned located and walked into a
pile. He checked each very carefully, located the point of interest.
BLOOD. Yep he located a board with human blood and was hitting on the
scent of fresh blood. Dang Forensic work makes them find even the
smallest of blood factors! We moved on. Glad and cheerful. No one had
died there. And right now that was a good feeling.

After another full mile of search, I could see he was ready for a break.
It was Flash's turn and I was excited to see what he would do in a real
time disaster. It would be his first rubble search..

On the walk back to the car, I went in a different direction. That way I
over lapped Sharon's work. I just set Magic free and let him do his thing
as I walked the roads. In, out, under, over. Magic seem tireless, but I
could spot the speed was slowing down again. He made no complaint of
getting back in the crate to rest.

I had told the rescue workers to just wait for me. Rest and I'd be right
back. So now I let Flash out to run. I had time to see if he was going to
have problems. I didn't see any, Just interest in the mess all around the
car. As he was getting his rubble legs, I watched a crew of 4 wheelers
working the open fields across the road. In a line they drove slowly
looking for victims. I knew I was glad to not have that waiting for me at
the end of the house searches. It was about a hundred acres open field
with trees edging all of the far sides. There was debris everywhere.

I caught Flash up and headed back into the housing areas. I still had at
least 20 homes waiting on the back street just east of the school. It had
been the first hit, but not as badly damaged. And by now they had let
families back to search through their homes to recover their treasures.

Flash was friendly, exploring, and very close to me. I could see he was
going to have to build his confidence first. And with the first huge
pile, I set off into the middle of it. Well, where mom walked, Flashed
followed and after directed, went off to search. Slowly he began to
understand it was HIS job not mine to check things. I knew I now had a
new search dog for disaster. It was a nice surprise as he was only
forensic trained!

The trees here were still standing, and the trailer that was nothing more
than a floor plan was leaning up against the trees. A solid wall of floor
plan on its side with a mangled pile of wood, glass and metal. Littered
with small items we take for granted everyday. Food, toilet paper,
clothes, dishes, games, TV, radios. ALL were laid open to view. and it
was our job to make sure no human lay under it. I gave the command and
Flash was into the pile without hesitation. Very much like Fox, I lifted,
directed and helped where I was needed. But the search and direction of
travel I left to him. I was bust'n my buttons at his skills.

And of course all searches finally end. As we cleared the last pile, our
escort was now IN a car, following me<G>. 7 hours had slid by and I was
high on the fact I had great dog, but I could feel the tired creeping
under the bravado. I turned to Sharon who had caught up to me and we
divide to walk back to the car for a much needed break. I took a new road
and walked the far end of the zone to make sure if there had been a place
missed, we would come across it. The homes there had damage, but not
destruction. Flash did his thing. Running back and forth and checking
everything in schippy fashion. I followed and talked to my flanker about
what would happen next.

As we came back to the lower levels of the development. I thanked my
flanker and walked to put Flash away. Tired, under mild stress, but
elated about the dogs. I stopped to turn back to look at what we had done
that day. And knew of only 2 who were still missing. I was sure now they
did not lay under any of the piles and my hope was they were safe within
someone's home. I knew the picture in my mind was one I would carry
forever. And thanked God he had not taken any lives. Of the thousands who
lived here, I learned the next day, not a one had lost their lives. A few
in hospitals, but everyone later accounted for. The dogs had been right,
we had not missed anyone and life was moving forward again.

At the base camp, we reported in. My phone rings. Its a smile at the
other end of that line. A voice from the list asking me if we are ok. I
talk, release the tensions, and have to go. More awaits. They ask if we
had enough left to check the house by the school and then go have supper
at the mobile units there. Thanking all the new friends, we headed to
eat. Running the dogs was just because they asked.. No piles remained
there, but the dogs needed to stretch and regroup. Blow off the disaster
dust. All felt much better and climbed back into the crates was we went
to get food.

As we introduced ourselves, they asked about the dogs. Visitors came to
pet and hug them. One came with a LOAD of hot dogs. And I told the funny
story about Fox who is called "Hot Dog Man" by the unit. In searching the
rubble in the second house that day, we had come across a freezer broken
open. There for all to see was steaks, chicken and a BIG package of hot
dogs!

Fox had honed in on that as fast as he could. He just knew it was a
reward for hard work. I saw it too and said "Leave it". His nose touched
the package and he looked up at me. I repeated..."Leave it" very
quietly. He moved on with a sigh and a look back to make sure it was
true. I gave him a bite of the cooked chicken I had in my pocket.

So when the guy gave us about 20 hot dogs, I turned him lose and said
FIND THE HOT DOGS! He could not believe his luck and put on a good show
of searching, discovering and danced for his rewards.<G> I felt the
relief of some of the workers. Their laughter and smiles fed my soul. Fox
has more than a search job at the disaster sites.

The drive home is always used to debrief. Talk about the things we
saw..the people we work with and the forces that shape our life. Our
dogs, our friends, and the influences that make up our days.

And as I unloaded, wash three dogs and took a shower to get rid of the
chemicals and contaminates of a tornado, I find peace within.Once again
my training is good enough. The years of work pay off.

I wondered if I would keep at SAR. So many times I reach a point I think
I am done, then the call comes and I can not say no. I know the dogs are
needed. Human lives hang often in the balance. How can one not use the
gifts given for the good of man kind? Tired, spent, but with a full heart
that comes from knowing you have done a good job, work with the best dogs
in the land. Trained by yourself and here they lay right tight beside you
to protect your dreams.

I had felt that once Fox was gone, I could not continue to search, but
today I learned I have another as good as Fox in the wings. Waiting. For
me, for the future and for training to make him better. And I have
friends here waiting, supporting, listening when I need to vent, or
comfort me when things go bad. To help me through the stupid side of
human. To understand and to share emotions as days pass and I recover
from the thoughts that follow this kind of search.

And when the day is done and another dawns, I awake refreshed and ready.
Life is good, the dogs super canines, and there are new things to learn.
I say my thank you's and move on to see the new days through with God's
blessings. And after a few days I can write again. Sharing this with
those who care. And I thank you for the gifts you have given to me and
the SAR Schips over the years.

And once again, I go back to normal operation mode. Fast forward. Full
out in schippy fashion. Life is meant to be enjoyed, live to the fullest
and loved for all it has to offer. Please. Don't waste a day of it. Reach
out to those you know and tell them how much you care. Its important.
Nature's force can take it all tomorrow. Love, laugh and live with peace
within till its time to sleep.

warmest thanks to all.
Pat and the SARSchips
Little Rock, AR
http://sarschips.net
Alone We Can Do So Little; Together We Can Do So Much!
 

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