# "but have you WORKED a dog in a swamp?"



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Not going to talk about the entire search but I was sent on one where a cross trained (live/cadaver) dog was sent to work an area in the vicinity of several ponds. She was getting incredibly agitated behavior and a trained indication.

I was sent to check with Grim worked around the pond, even sent him down to the base of the dam (good thing for a sendout command!) and all we got was one head pop in a very swampy area. 

Cam back, asked if her dog had ever worked a swamp before, and he had not. My head pop wound up being where her dog was going crazy. I told them I felt the area was negative. Later that day, it was verified when the victim was located about a mile away.

Swamp gas can mess with a dog that has not been trained/worked it, in case you did not know. 

I don't know if this helps or not be we do train around mulch/wood chip piles as we have seen dogs hit on them (and since everyone who has ever seen Fargo has visions of body chippers dancing in their brains.......so our dogs do NOT alert on mulch either (also septic fields!)


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

glad you were right on the area being negative!! Hope you have gotten rest since the searches.

Had a cadaver search a while ago (I was support) and we hit an area of shallow swampy area--it smelled rank. The dog definitely had 'interest' and gave one frustration bark and then moved on. This was before I started working on cadaver stuff, but I remember the handler saying swamps had very similar gasses in it.

I remember training Remus in deep leaves last fall/winter in a wood where the leaves stay--he'd get his nose as deep as he could under the rotted leaves and sniffffff, but it wasnt his 'stuff'. I am amazed at how they discriminate.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

It is hard to simulate the amount of odor a swamp puts out. I think it is mainly the methane but obviously other decomp odors plus probably mingled in some wild swine.

FWIW Grim also completely ingnored a dead dog (not even at the bloat stage) - actually stepped over it to get under an abandoned house. Same thing with a partial horse skeleton in our area. Nothing amazing though we have not trained on "dead dog" as a distracter before....though have on a lot of other dead critters.


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## Mo Earle (Mar 1, 2008)

I don't work cadavier dogs at all-if you have time-was wondering the swamps in Florida have so many hazards- how do you protect your dogs from injury- do you allow the dog to enter the water at any time?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Not if we can avoid it--Fortunately *most* of our calls are in areas not known to have them.

Dog is committed to odor though. So if they hit, they hit and we should not be able to call them off! Eeeek two edged sword there.

If there is enough water for a gator I want to be in a boat. You look for signs such as slides, and they actually will stalk and you can see the ripple on the water..

FWIW We do NOT let our dogs jump out of the boats on searches. Too much risk of being chewed up by the prop, alligators, being swept away by a current, etc.

Closest call we had on a shoreline search was when a dog went in and the handler saw a v heading towards his dog.....and got it out pronto

Always have had LE with weapons strong enough to pierce a hogs skull or a gator but they are so fast.........

We have gators on a curve from about Augusta GA through Columbia and up through around Chesterfield so we are aware. Wild hogs are another hazard.

I *hate* gators. They are attaracted to decomp as are wild pigs. Fortunately we always request LE with a gun to accompany us on cadaver searches. I really get a kick out of folks all in a wad about snakes.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

We did a couple of cypress swamp searches in SE Missouri. No problems because of what you commented on. Training on mulch piles, compost, etc. Anything that decomposes will give off methane. Plant matter in particular.
I was always the one everyone would be hollering for to identify snakes. I usually just told them to chase it my way and I'd take a look at it. ](*,)


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## Jim Delbridge (Jan 27, 2010)

The trick is not only to proof the dog off vegetative methane, but also to be able to locate human remains in the same swamp or methane producing area.

Jim


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Not having many other swamps to train in, I have taken the same mulch piles and worked to pinpoint decomp and bones placed within them. 

Another good one to train in is decomp in an area drenched with gasoline.....won't go into that one and it was not my search......but we can all learn from others experiences.


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## Jim Delbridge (Jan 27, 2010)

For areas that don't have swamps, there are usually abandoned ponds that have gone bad. I've collected water from some of those ponds into clear plastic water bottles with nipples on them. The water was black(brackish) or green depending on the pond. If I stored the bottles in the dark, they usually went mostly clear. I could then place one of them in the sun in a depression and the bacteria would go to work. As soon as the bottle changed color, I'd pop the nipple to let the various chemicals fill the depression for dog training. 
I need to collect new bottles. Freezing often kills the bacteria and critters in the water.

Jim


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## julie allen (Dec 24, 2010)

This is really interesting. My farms borders a swamp, and this is where Greta began her cadaver training. She has not had a problem on any alerts there. Lol only problem is the way she smells when she comes out of that mess!


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

She was probably acclimatized to the odor from the start and it was a big negative to her. You have already proofed her.


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## julie allen (Dec 24, 2010)

The team I have been talking with was explaining their dogs were having trouble on compost piles. I haven't worked Greta on this yet. We get to go Sunday! Hope all goes well.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

IT will be interesting to see. I don't think she should have that problem based on her exposure to the swamp. Please report back.


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