# Remus and I are going to N Carolina!



## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

for the May cadaver workshop. I am excited. I had the registration time on my calendar since the info came out in Dec. Registration started at 1pm. I got caught up working Remus (ironically) and got home a little late. But we got in!! I am very excited and cant wait for this new experience. I even now have a new van, so dont have to worry about getting stranded on the drive. From what I have heard, this will be an extremely valuable experience for both of us.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Glad you got in.....i am hoping to take beau this fall. I think you will really enjoy it......may hmmmmmm...even in the mountains it will ne warm....+mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## julie allen (Dec 24, 2010)

I couldn't do the March class. When is the fall seminar? I really want to get in one. This will be our first time, so I believe I have to take level one, is that correct?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Yes, I don't know when the fall date will be - I gather they will have to work around football schedules etc.......I will see Paul at in a few weeks and will ask him.

They also have to work around the leaves I would guess. During leaf season it is hard to get a room


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

I got the notice of dates in Nov (I guess I put myself of hte email list, but I dont remember doing that!), it listed "the 2012 seminars". I assumed that was all we were getting. It would be great if there were more in the fall. I just wish there was something in the NE like this.

Just checked the directions--it is a 12 hour ride. Ugh! Good thing I have family in Va. A stop over one way and a sleep over on the way home.

How warm will it be in May? I considered March, but May works better and I figured it cant be too hot then, right?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I think they are planning on two a year but I bet once everyone has done it it will only be people bringing new dogs........although Lisa has regulars at her shallow graves "plus" seminar at Canfields every fall.


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

I am sitting in a hotel room (again) on the way home from the HRD seminar. Definitely worth it and I may come back next year for the level II class. It is quite a hike from NJ, but I think something me and Remus needed. 

For those who want to take this seminar--the March section filled up in 9 (or 16, I forget) minutes and the May section filled up in an hour and both had waiting lists. Putting the date and time registration opens is a good idea!!

Remus and I learned so much in 3 days. We worked several large sources a day in new environments and situations. It was good to have the instructors to bounce questions off. Remus did very well and certainly enjoyed finding new 'stuff'. We didnt have much time to work on the full bodies, but he was able to catalog corpses with different levels of decomp. He had no aversion to the full bodies, but was slightly spooky before we went into the compound. I cant imagine the amount of scent that must be in that area. they also had many distractions out, which he noted but didnt spend much time at. I learned much about reading my dog. For the first time I saw him with a still body while at a source. Usually he is very animated. So something very good for me to know in real situations. 

We also got to work submerged sources in a fast flowing stream. He showed really nice body language as he worked those out and gave a pretty accurate indication on his first problem.

Cant wait to be home, but glad I made the haul. Will take the whole family next time (so hubby can drive lol) and make a mini vacation out of it. It is a beautiful area of the country.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Glad you had such a great time. I really enjoyed it when I went last year. Definitely a must do.

Guess I need to ask Paul if you can do back to back basic and advanced....I see the schedule is like that this year...would like to just knock out with Beau in sequence assuming we certify this Fall or Winter.

A teammate is doing advanced this year but it had to be with the dog who went to basic and not her newer dog ........ and Grim is "done' so no point taking him so we did not do the advanced one this year.


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

Sorry again about Grim. After all that work with him....I always worry about that stuff with Griffin. Glad he is taking retirement well.

There were people staying for the 2nd level from my class, several in fact, so do ask. I dont know if they asked, or got lucky with the registering. I believe there is going to be another 2 sections in the fall. They have big plans for neat stuff for HR dogs, I hope they can follow through.

I just wish there was something closer to here.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I really do hope so. I am probably going to shoot for spring (will verify a back to back then) plan to take Beau to NAPWDA in Atlanta if we are ready this fall....he would be pretty young but, if nothing else, it would be a good experience. He still has a LOT of puppy about him...and it might help prepare us to certify in January when the other team dogs need to. He will be 18 months in Jan.

Did they have the entire bear carcass as a distracter this time or did they move it? Dead chickens in the van? We had to work past them to "find" the FOREST enclosure. 

I did work Grim some this weekend at training - and he hit them all but you could tell it wore him out. With the exception of the high hides in the building and the tree, Beau actually did better than Grim. But he is just now starting to learn them how to work high hides. The one he found in the open field at 3pm surprised me because it was a tough one for some.


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

We had bear, pig, chickens (in the van), buried fox and bear cub which R didnt notice at all and deer.

One dog rolled in the pig goo.....glad R was more interested in the odor coming from the forest than the distractions. We both got a gust from them and he did then turn in to check them out, but would not have explored at all if the wind didnt shift. He was looking up the hill trying to figure what the hell I got him into! I am still amazed at how quiet he was last week in comparison to his normal mal-like intensity.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Oh yes I forgot the deer. I would have to go back and look to at my notes see if we worked past the fox but my best was a beaverball. The guy promised to send me a picture but didn't ........ it was about the size of a beach ball........the tree hw was chewing on fell on him and pinned him. Plenty of dead dogs and coyotes on searches though.

We did have an all y'all come cadaver call (well the police actually did ask us to come search some specific areas) near a hunt club but the family had called in the entire community. 

People who were never normally in the woods were getting all excited about deer bones and pig bones left and right. They even decided they had to tag one Grim "missed"...Even I could tell from looking at it that it was a deer leg bone. 

Same with the vertebra...come on now....Big "spines" on the back that we don't have..must have been near the withers....... But he did jump over an entire deer skelton, stripped but will threads of stuff still hanging off the bones. Its kind of neat how focused they are because if they were not working that would be great fun to nose around.


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