When a child goes missing, a loved one is lost, or a fugitive is on the run police rely heavily on K9 trailing teams. For one bloodhound and her handler, a creek in Livingston County is the perfect location for a training exercise.

Sister is a 2-year-old bloodhound. She is in training, trailing a human scent.

"The dog is using a scent article which we start the dog on. We sent him on the scent article that is associated with that person and then the dog has to try and find them,” Jeff Schettler, a K9 trainer said.

Schettler, a K9 trainer out of Georgia, said the more difficult the scenario, the better practice for the dog.

"The best conditions for the dog are going to be green, just like this. You need some humidity. Wet conditions are great, around water is fantastic. Scent is hydrophilic, so it's attracted to water. So in the situation we're working in its quite good,” Schettler said.

Sister and her handler Mary Davenport are volunteers for the Independent Canine Search and Rescue.

"This is one way that I can enjoy my dogs and also give back to the community. If we can help find one person that makes the hours and the months and the years all worthwhile,” Davenport said.

She hopes working with Jeff will soon help them to be deployed on their first search and rescue mission.

"As with anything else, you tend to fall into a rut sometimes. So, we need to have a very close relationship with our instructors to find the holes and the areas and also give us new suggestions and inspiration of things to work on,” Davenport said.

Four days of training in 90-degree temperatures, all for the hope that they can one day help.

"That’s an incredible sense of satisfaction to be able to find somebody or to give closure to somebody. That’s a tough thing to do but it's better than never knowing,” Davenport said.

Schettler's book, "Red Dog Rising"' chronicles his adventures with K9 training during his police years. All profits from the book benefit service dogs for kids with disabilities.

Red Dog Rising
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