Up From The Depths
July 2007
A Tribute to Keith
 

The week had been so busy. Always around the weekends of the 4th, our SAR teams stay ready for travel. This year had been quiet.

On that Friday, July 6th my newest SAR pup had been injured. I was off in another world most of the time and it seemed my future in SAR was bleak.
A broken leg, it would change his outlook on life to be crated for 5 to 8 weeks. I was depressed at his future.

So when the call came in on Wed, I took the time to reflect and see what I wanted to do..

Sharon had gone to a water work shop earlier this year with her Vizsla, Cougar. Marty and I decided we had to sharpen our dogs as we had not done a water search in months. We loaded the boat, the dogs and worked for a quick 30 minutes, both Dare and Magic were right on the money with the cadaver bait. I felt we were up to the task.

Training requires dedication and I had been so busy with other things, that water had taken a back seat. But a well trained dog never forgets.
The quick training session proved it. It wouldn't strain our confidence to know they could do their job well.

On Thursday morning at 3:45 am, the alarm shook me awake. Ray made sure I was getting up. I hurried to do the pups and the house dogs. No one else was stirring. A bit early for the rest of the pack.

I showered, fixed breakfast and a cooler and sat out by the car waiting for Sharon to pick me up. It was a three and a half hour drive and its more fun to do it with company. We three, along with 4 dogs, would share the ride.

Sharon and I had packed the equipment and crates the night before, so as she pulled in, I loaded Magic and the cooler stuff and we hit the road.
It was 5:15 and we picked Marty up at 5:30. Did I ever tell you I hate early mornings?

On the way we talked about new friends, old searches, old dogs, and plans for new ones. Like old times, the core of our unit on the road together.
It felt right to be working our dogs again.

We got there at 8:30 am and reported in. Loaded the gear, dogs and ourselves on to the divers party barge and headed out into the lake. It was clear we had a top crew to help us in this search.

As we traveled we ask questions....

The boating accident was a head on crash between two boats on Sat night.
The Bass boat was coming in from a fishing tournament. The driver of one boat was tossed out on impact. The one we were here to find. The passenger in the other was seriously injured and had died on Wed from the crash. Six in all where involved. Only one was missing.

As we approached the GPS'd crash spot we placed a Buoy marker as a reference point. The depth was 138 feet. Water temp was 42* at the bottom. The wind was calm and the current flowed from the North to the South. It was midway between the shores. The current only flowed when they ran the generators at the dam.

We headed into the cove to pick up our smaller boats and drivers. The base of operations was a nice houseboat. Food, water, resting areas and comfort for the extra dog. We loaded into the smaller boats and headed out to search. Our drivers were experienced lake guys and all very knowledgeable about the conditions. Your boat handler can make or break a search. A quick reminder to them, that if a dog goes over board, to shut down the motor fast as possible for safety.

There is a tension and excitement that fills your belly as you first set out. We had to wait till all the boats were lined up and the dogs settled. Then slowly we started the grid search. Boats 25 to 30 feet apart, we slowly made our way out to the center of the search. The excitement turned to dedication and the humans to handler. Dogs could feel the mind sets as we gave them the search commands.

The first bark came as we crossed into open water.. Magic's chuff chuff, low and quite, the barks echoed now and then from the other two. It was the outer scent zone from 5 days of submerged human oils rising to the surface and drifting on the top with the wind and currents. We pushed into the real scent zones and the barks became more in number and louder according to the concentration of the scent. Each dog watched and waited for the scent to come up off that cold dark lake surface and then they reported to us.

Soon I had a grid search going and had made two passes with the three dogs working. Dare and Marty in the outer zones had the least response.
Sharon in the zone closer to the buoy was having the most. Magic continued to chuff instead of bark till we got closer to the buoy. And then he barked and stretched out to smell the water and SPLASH! he was in.

Now I would love to say it was a hit, but we work metal boats and they have lips on the fronts. This was a fiberglass and it was slick and smooth. He lost his toe hold and decided to leap to save himself. I was quick at the pick up. Grabbed his dense ruff and started to lift and SPLASH!! I dropped him back into the water. Oh My..he was NOT happy at all. I could see that look that said I would pay later.

As I got him back on deck I saw every single boat at a stand still. My words of fast shut down was taken seriously. He shook off the water and I got a cold wet shower. Pay Back..I hate to sit for hours in wet clothes.

It didn't take 3 minutes for him to hop back on the deck and we all set off to finish the grid. Sharon had a loud bark to the west of the marker.
Again to the east. Marty had nothing in the outer zone to the south. I pulled us all back to talk and share ideas. Then sent Marty and Dare into the same zone I had watched Sharon work. The barking started as fast has the boat entered into the outer ring to the west. Loud, deep and always in the same spot. She didn't go as far in the east direction so no bark in the spot Sharon's Vizsla had shown us.

So next I worked Magic. I checked each upwell. He barked and dug at me saying he had rising scent. I worked him all the way around and he hit in each direction. Hardest was in the southern flow of current. About 60 feet out from the marker buoy. I had to go think this one through.

As we all gathered, we talked about the ideas of the ring of scent. It was pretty clear we had a dead zone and an active ring. But where would the scent be rising from? I asked the boat with the sonar to GPS us a mark for all the barks. It would paint a picture of the size and location of the known scent at the site.

My fear was we had broken the thermocline and allowed 5 days of scent to rise, bend and form a ring around the marker. The idea formed as I thought about Magic's leap in at the marker where the scent was coming up the rope. Then remembering scent bends at 1 foot per foot rising. Or if the thermocline was at 45 feet, the circle would be 50 to 60 feet out.
Just about the right distance in the time given.

We gathered again and decided to test the Thermocline idea. I was to go back out and place a new marker in the dead zone where we had no barking.
Then run the dogs over it in about 15 to 30 minutes. I thought about where I would go for that test, picked the area Magic had hit the hardest. I headed south into the current of scent. I sent the other back in to rest. I would need the dogs again in 30 minutes. They all needed a break and were showing the effects of 2 hours of intense hard work.

I worked him to the outer ring, went another 20 feet past it, and lined up the triangulation of the shore markers and the buoy. As we slowly went pass the bark zone, I yelled drop! The buoy hit the water and the boat driver fed out the 150 feet of line. We traveled on past and another 100 feet to the south. I waited for 5 minutes and head back into the marker.
I waited to see where if any barks came from Magic.

About 10 to 15 feet past the marker he started to really get excited.
Barks rang, digging at the edge of the boat and at my head. He almost went into the water. I was faster this time and held him safe. I was thinking it was the release of new scent. I headed back to wait the time out and let Magic rest.

As we made our way slowly to shore, the radio called out to us: GOT HIM!
We headed back out to the second marker. I really couldn't believe they had GPS's the last bark zone where we had hit! And that when they went back over it with the sonar, found a human image. Magic had been close to the body and it was 142 feet deep!

Now I can not lie. I did NOT know we had a true hit. Remember we had placed that marker to test the thermocline theory. It just happened to be the very right spot for the bark and the GPS! Sometimes its the hand of god that helps ya along. Part science, part art as we read the dogs and put facts together with the full input from the team. Marty's Dare, Sharon's Cougar and my own experience of working a team. The total was the placement of the next marker to search. And of course it helps to have a little luck!

WE all went back to the house boat to rest, potty the dogs and eat lunch.
It was 3 hours plus of hard work. Time to rest.

Then the storms started to roll in. Everyone came back to the boat and we ate lunch, talked, shared ideas and info. We demo'd how we work the imprinting of the cadaver. We gave talks about the scent welling out there and how we placed the dogs and the buoy. And the storms passed. We all had shared the team work and all were ready to go back to work. Me? I was ready for a nap.

As soon as the underwater camera got there, they rushed off to check. The 100' line to the camera was far to short as the body was at 142 feet.
They sent out for the longer cord. We again waited. And another storm rolled in. Rain pelted the house boat, we rested snug and comfortable.
Waiting.

Again the camera crew came back in and since it was now after 3, we asked if they could run us the 2 miles back to the docks and our car. The mists were rising and with it, carrying the scent all over. The conditions had made searching the water surface impossible. It was time to go home.

So we loaded the dogs and the three humans for the ride back. The boat was crowded, and as he hit the start for the motor..BOOM! the storm hit again. Thunder rolled and rain pelted us. We'd have to run for it or sit and wait. We gave it a few more minutes and headed in to the shore. Our boat man was so nice and took us right to the cars. And then waited till we had loaded gear, dogs and us. He left as we did, to go back to the search.

I was soaked when I got in to the docks. The temp had fallen to 65*. Cold tired and ready to go home, we stopped to changed our clothing and headed home. It was a long way still to go. But we knew we had done it. It was just a matter of the camera and recovery. And the rewards for the dogs.
Tired but elated we talked and remembered other searches all the way back.
***********

postscript: At 7:15 the next morning the phone rang. At 9:03 pm, in 142 feet of water, the body was recovered only 20 feet from the second marker. We had another successful search. The Family would have closure and we would feel the flush of another find for our unit. We would once
again know the years of training was not wasted.

My personal feelings were like walking on air. The head diver was so wonderful as he talked to me. Praising the dogs, and chuckling over the clown Magic was. He was so supportive. And more important, he said they would never call another unit but ours. Seems they had trouble with some other dog teams at another search and they had sent them home. Our working as a team with them, sharing info and then working the dogs, had shown them what real search dogs gave them. We are now the back up water team for their county.

And we also learned it had been a quick death for Keith. He died of a head injury before he ever hit the water. And when the family talked to the Diver, he gave them pictures of the dogs. A soft laugh with some tears followed. She smiled and handed him Magic's picture. "Its Keith's message" she said. "After 5 days of searching, it took a little one eyed dog to get him off the bottom of the lake. Keith is showing me he will be fine. Its going to be ok."

We, as SAR dog handlers, sure hope so. This one is for you Keith. May you find the schips at the Rainbows fields.

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