Doug Goodman

I was checking out SARQuest.org, which is a fantastic site, and I happened on some pictures of Mojo working on scents.  I have copied them over here, too.  Go to www.douggoodman.net, and click on Photos (SAR).  Take a look at them and tell me what you think.  Some are funny, and some are great shots of dog behavior.  (See photo comments for what I mean about behavior.)  Besides photos of dogs, you get lots of pictures of me in camo pants.  Now, in my defense, I bought the camo pants when there was a chance the team would be going to Joplin to help with recovery efforts there, so I wasn't thinking fashion sense.  I just needed an extra pair of britches to get dirty.  Cleary, I wasn't thinking ANYTHING about fashion sense.  I have seen other people pull off the whole camo fashion thing.  Not me.  The lesson learned:  Goodman sticks to khakis. 

There are also photos of Rider and Princess.  Sometime soon, I should post some pictures of Mojo when he isn't working (just to prove that he does have down time!)

There are five basic commands all dogs should know:  sit, down, stay, come, and heel.  The better your dog knows these five commands, the more easily the pup can handle the more advanced commands.  Sometimes, though, cadaver dogging and obedience get in the way of each other.

When I first got Mojo, my family lived in an apartment, so taking Moj for walks outside was mandatory.  As a result of all that walking, Mojo is pretty good at the heel command.  He was so good, it got in the way of his HRD training. See, when Moj first started training, he didn't want to lead me to a scent; he wanted to heel at my side.  It took a little work, but after some consistency and a few weeks, he began to work away from me.  (However, from time to time when he gets tired or frustrated, he will still revert to the heel position and want me to lead him around.)

Because of this issue with heel, I didn't train my next too pups, Princess and Ryder, to heel.  I taught them "Walk With Me," which means stay in my general area.  Lately, though, I've gotten the idea in my head to train Ryder and work with Mojo on the heel command.  Despite not heeling for the past 3-5 years, Mojo did a pretty good job staying at my side.  I did one thing wrong, though.  One key thing.  I used my hand to motion for him to stay with me.  As soon as Mojo saw that hand move in front of him, his nose dove down into the ground like it did at HRD training on Saturday.  Whoops!  Don't need Mojo confusing "heel" with "find dead guy!"  I'm going to have to find another way to get his attention.  (Probably slapping my knee to begin with.)

Ryder did much better, though she hated when I worked her on the Sit command.  I could get about 340 degrees behind her when she would spin to face me.  I growled a correction, took her by the scruff of the neck, and repositioned her.  Again, though, I couldn't get past 340 degrees.  This time when I corrected her, she went back down and paws up.  Okay, pup.  We'll have to build towards 360.  She did really well with fetch, though.  Moj, who thinks the only way to keep a game of fetch going is to bark loudly and incessantly until the ball is thrown, didn't fare so well.  He also wanted to play his other favorite game, called "I growl at you until you rip the ball out of my jaws, then I will start barking incessantly at you again."  This is why he couldn't do frisbee competitions.  Okay, not the big reason, but part of it. 

I am going to have to work with the dogs tomorrow on obedience, but this time I need to be mindful not to direct Mojo to cadaver dog when I want him to heel...

Some friends who attended the NASAR conference told me about chicken training, which they learned about at the conference.  (I don't know if this is the video they saw.)  The idea is to learn to train a dog by first learning to train a chicken.  I am not fond enough of chickens to ever want to teach them to do anything except jump into my KFC.  Speaking of which, pay attention 2:45 into the video.  I think there is additional motivation being used...

If you can train a chicken, you can train a dog.  Reminds me of one of my favorite lines from Dodgeball:

It is never too hot for SAR work, but it is starting to feel too hot to want to do SAR training.  With the team at the national SAR conference in Reno, there is not much going on here.  We have had three possible callouts in the past few weeks.  For one of those callouts, we were very close to leaving when we received the stand-down.  That was a hard one to let go of because the work starts to look like a reality and you get wrapped up in the preparations and excited about being able to use your dog and help some people, then you receive word that you are not working, so you have to bring yourself back down to Earth, sort to speak, and put things away and move on with your regular routines.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a mis-step in my SAR practice.  I was working Mojo in some thorn bush (and almost nothing sucks as much as working in thorns), and I could tell Mojo was getting frustrated.  I was afraid his brain may be going dead and need some rest.  The pup is standing there, staring at me.  Then he gives a sharp bark, high-pitched.  (In retrospect, could this be any more Lassie-like?)  I told him to keep looking.  He barked again.  Once more, I told him to keep looking.  This time, he went into the down position and alerted on my foot.  My Foot's Not Dead!!!  (I hope.)

I lifted my foot.  I was standing on the scent item.  It had been covered by brush and grass.  So literally a mis-step.

The Japan earthquakeand tsunami turned radiation threat events have led to many discussions of emergency preparedness.  I watched a recent segment on Good Morning America where home emergency preparedness was discussed.  The assertion was that at a minimum, five items are needed in any home emergency preparedness kit:  food, water, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and a dust mask.  Apparently, less than 10% of all Americans have all five items.  Fortunately, my ready pack contains 3 of the items.  (Since I work with Human Remains Dogs, I keep respirators in my packs.)

There is a concept in search and rescue that I have heard little about, but what I think would help people in home emergency preparedness.  It is the concept of the "hell box."  (I have got to write a story called Hell Box - it sounds so catchy!)  The basic idea, as I understand it, is that a hell box contains everything you most want to have with you when everything goes to hell in a handbasket.  So the hell box would be customizable to different individuals and families.  For instance, a fireman may want a fireman's axe or protection gear in it.  Some people I know might want rope because they are excellent with rope and can do just about anything with it.  Les Stroud would probably want a multi-tool.  Bear Grylls, his shirt.  But you get the idea.  It is your emergency - you prepare for it with the tools you think would most help you.  Today I talked to a doctor of physics who showed me how to pick locks.  I get the feeling his hell box would include his set of lock picks.

Living in Houston where most disasters seem to be floods, storms, hurricanes, or any combination thereof, my hell box definitely would have rain gear.  Although I don't want to trust a cellphone in my hell in a handbasket scenario, I would definitely want to have one with me.  Like Les, I would definitely want a good multi-tool.  Of course, duck tape seems to have a million uses.  And water purification and fire implements would also be included.  And even though it wouldn't be much of a "tool," I would want to keep my treasure chest with me - my hard drive back up.  Too many valuables on the hard drive, like family photos, videos, and of course, my writing.

This leaves me worried.  Assuming the world has gone to hell (was it a hurricane or a zombie apocalypse?), I am trusting my life to the effectiveness of my poncho, multi-tool, duct tape, fire starter, and water purification.  Of course, the greatest tool should be the mind.  Learning to expand my comfort zone now would help prepare me for an emergency later.  Maybe I should learn to pick a lock...

I have been training for the SARTech II field exam.  The SAR team has graciously been working with me so that I have some practice on some of the field tests before the exam.  Last week one member gave a great ropes course presentation.  (I hope I can remember the difference between bights and bends.)  Up today - Land Nav.

It was swampy and muddy, and my boots were completely submerged in water up over the Gore-Tex.  At one point, I was crawling through the underbrush.  Along with several cuts and scrapes, I now have an abrasion on my left cheek (not that cheek) that makes me look kind of like Tommy Flanagan.  Soon after finding the first post, one of the field advisors warned everyone that there were feral hogs roaming the training grounds.  And somewhere along the way I lost the walking stick SARTechs are required to carry in their packs.  So all in all, it was a great morning!

Seriously, it felt great to be out on the land nav course.  Land Navigation is one of the hardest challenges I think any search and rescue technician faces.  The goal is to navigate through a wilderness area using only a compass to guide you.  I remember the first time I tried this - I had no problems getting through the course.  Of course, I was minus a 50-lb backpack and I was trying to keep my paces.  There was also this thing called "no pressure."  Once you add the gear, the pressure, and the pace-keeping, it becomes much more difficult.

However, to me what land nav really tests is bushwhacking skills.  Can you crawl through underbrush while keeping paces?  Can you push through briars and thorn bushes thicker than walls?  (A good whacking stick can help.)  Can you get a reading off your compass while surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes and while standing in a foot of water?  I have found some techniques that help.

1.  Know your eye dominance.  Most people are eye-dominant on the same side as their handedness.  Not me.  I may be a righty, but I see with my left eye.  It helps to know this because otherwise I would look out my right eye, then start walking towards the left.  So I swerve away from the path.

2. Keep it simple.  The less objects in hands and pockets, the better.  I have foregone gloves, which would reduce the cuts and scrapes on my hands, but I am a complete butterfingers when I am wearing my gloves.  What I find works is to clear everything from my pockets except what is essential for the test - a small pad of paper, a pace counter, a compass, and a pen.  The pad, compass, and pen are in one pocket; the counter in the other.  This never changes so I know where to look for my equipment.

3.  Keep the compass out!.  I have a tendency to put the compass away.  I think this makes me swerve off the path.  It also means I add steps to my procedure.  I have to put up one thing, pull out the compass, take the reading, then put the compass up.  It's much easier to just leave it out so that it is ready for a reading at any time.  By keeping the compass out, I also can see direction changes much better.

Now, will any of this experience serve me at the SARTech II exam?  I have no idea.  I guess I will know in a few weeks time.  Until then, it is just fun to be in the outdoors in Houston while the weather is nice.  In a month or two, the heat will be intolerable and land nav will be next to impossible.

During my off-hours this week, I took two FEMA courses for Incident Command, which equates to ~16 hours of training. I finished the training Saturday, and Sunday morning I went to church, where the Deacon was talking about the disciples. Specifically, the deacon said that the first thing Jesus did was find his disciples. And me, in my “Incident Command” mindset, instantly thought “Demobilization!” As soon as God had his first resource, he was already thinking of demobilizing it!

Well, the way my mind can take the ball and run with it, I couldn’t just stop there. So instead, still in church, I am already thinking that maybe ICS could have helped Jesus. With ICS, he would have known that span of control should not exceed seven people. jesus had 13. And what happened when his span of control got too out of control? It backfired on him! Is there a chance ICS could have saved Jesus from being crucified? Maybe not, but letting span of control get out of hand will crucify the incident commander. That much the training has taught me.

In ICS-400, we learned that there can be a higher power than incident command. It is called area command. Area command has supreme authority over everything. It can also be unified. Well, this clarifies the holy trinity! It’s unified area command with God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost all wrapped into one! Who needs priests to clarify the holy mysteries when FEMA can do it for you?

A key requirement of area command, as everyone who takes ICS 400 learns, is the written delegation of authority. This is the buy-in that gives area command its power. In Christianity, this delegation of authority is called The Bible. Who is in charge? “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” You can’t write a better authority than that!

Clearly, I have had too much training. The good news is that with completion of ICS-400, there are currently no other courses I am required to take. So hopefully, the next time I am listening to the homily, I will spend less time blaspheming my religion and incident command and spend more time paying attention. I know he said something about nets, boats, and fathers. This wasn’t a coast guard reference, was it…?

I have written a few blog entries on SAR gear. This one covers one of the lesser-known pieces of SAR gear, the urban SAR pack.

My search team will be doing a mock search exercise in early February, and one of the requirements was that each participating member must bring at least an urban SAR pack. To say I was giddy with the chance to prepare my urban SAR pack is to understate it. I have become a pack nerd. Or as Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” would have said it, “my old man is a pack junkie. A bona fide pack-icanus freak.” That’s me.

Like many pack-icanus freaks, I asked for a backpack for Christmas. I was already looking towards preparing my own urban SAR pack. I knew I wanted a Camelbak. Many of my friends have used them before, and I have one I used to use when running (read: walking with a little jogging) ultras. But that pack was way too small for an urban SAR pack, so I asked my wife to get me something like a MULE or a Rim Runner. I didn’t tell her, but secretly, I have wanted a MULE for years now. Some kids want puppies, others ask Santa for ponies. Me, I hoped to see a mule under the Christmas tree, and I got it!

I brought the MULE out to only one previous training, and it was perfect. Lightweight, with 3 liters of water, and four storage compartments (more on that later). The MULE is designed for breath-ability along the back, which can never be underestimated when working in the summer in the South. I loved it.

What To Put In The Urban SAR Pack

NASAR provides a list for the urban SAR pack, which is kind of a “SAR pack” lite. Take away the first aid kit, the ropes, the tarp, and the basic survival gear (e.g., fire starters, cups, carabineers, etc.), and that is what you are left with. Here is a pic of my almost-complete Camelbak:

I tried the MULE on after I finished. Man, is that thing light. Especially when compared to my NorthFace Terra 60. Great pack, but it can be heavy when fully loaded. The tricky part about packing the urban SAR pack is including the walking stick, which is used for mantracking. The stick is way too long to realistically put in the bag. (TWSS.) So I hooked the walking stick to one of the Camelbak’s loops using a carabineer, which is required on the larger pack.

Note: I used my SAR pack as a template for my urban pack. . Both packs have a similar structure (minus side pockets), so having similar items in similar places makes it easier to remember where things are located.

Top Storage

Usually, I like to place in the top storage unit items that I am most likely to need. In my SAR pack, they are a pair of worn working gloves. The urban pack does not require gloves. However, as an HRD handler, I decided it best to place some disposable gloves here. Also, I included my Buff (which replaces the bandana). The last thing that goes in here is an inventory list, with any additional materials noted on the list.

Small Storage

So in here went a bunch of little things that are required in the pack like pad, pencil, SAR ID, compass, and flagging tape. I also added my counter to keep track of pace counts. In the corner you can see dog bags, a necessity for canine handlers.

Open Storage

What to put in a big open storage area that is unprotected by the elements? Why not the rain jacket?

Large Storage

There are not many things left that are required in the urban pack. Instead, I placed in here items from the ten essentials for every backpack. Why these items are not included in the urban pack, I do not know, but I don’t want to go on a search without them. So my pack has a snack (chips, which also make great firestarter), two firestarter sources (flint and matches), duck tape, a whistle (unseen) and a space blanket. For good measure (again, for HRD work), I placed a respirator mask at the bottom of the pack. I hope I don’t ever need to break into the large storage container, but if I do, I am prepared…

So there it is: the complete urban pack, at least as I see it. There are basically three kinds of items: items required by NASAR, items from the ten essentials list, and HRD equipment.  It is going to be fun testing this equipment in a few weeks. Can’t wait!

There is a challenge to working two dogs of very different ability levels.  I am just glad that so far the team has worked the beginner HRDs, breaked for trailing dogs, then worked the more experienced HRDs. 

Rider is at a very basic level.  She has two goals for her training:  1.  Making her use her nose (meaning, hiding objects so she is not sighting on them, which is a common tactic of young pups doing HRD work) and make her think about where the scent lies, and 2.  Forcing her into new situations.  As a pup, she is cautious about new footings, new areas, new people, etc.  Outside of SAR, her focus has been socialization.  I take her to PetSmart, on walks, and I am building her towards dog parks.  As an HRD, she will need the confidence to take hold of any situation, ignore the bad (for example, a random dog or stranger entering a work zone), and focus on the task.  Right now, she wants to perk her ears up and watch anybody or any dog that may enter the site.

On the other hand, Mojo continues to show the kind of confidence a working HRD needs.  On Saturday, he was leaping into a precarious footing.  (By precarious, I mean narrow ledge about 4 to 5 feet off the ground.)  He did this willingly and without command because he was following a scent trail.  It was good for me, though, because as a handler I have to recognize that the dog is so focused, he would ignore common sense.  At that point, I should have put Mojo in a "sit" until I figured out the best way for him to get off the ledge.  He has always been a fearless dog.  I need to remember this when working him.  The key is that I trained the dog to work; it is my responsibility that he has a safe working environment. 

I was helping the team out at a recruiting event, and it got me thinking about all the questions we usually get regarding Search and Rescue work, and especially the dogs.  I thought "if I answer this question this much, it's got to make a great blog post!"  Such is the fountain of inspiration.  So think of this as a SAR FAQ.  (And, as always, keep in mind that I am just one SAR volunteer expressing his opinions, and that the views expressed here are not necessarily the views of my SAR team, NASAR, sign with the notary public, etc.)

1.  What do the dogs search for?

A:  SAR teams differ from team to team, but there are three basic types of SAR dogs:  1.  Trailing dogs.  (Trailing dogs are your classic "jailbreak" dogs.  If you remember ever seeing a show where the warden gives his bloodhound the smell of the prisoner, and then the bloohound follows the escaped prisoner until he trees him, then you know what a working trailing dog looks like.)  2.  Area search dogs.  These dogs are trained to search for any living person in an area.  Think of dogs at disaster sites where the goal is to find buried people (living).  3.  Cadaver dogs, or by the more PC term, Human Remains Dogs.  These dogs are what I train.  They search for dead bodies.

2.  Do your dogs search for other dogs?

A:  We get this question a lot.  Unfortunately, the answer is no.  Most SAR dogs are trained only to find humans.  In fact, non-human scent is often used to try to throw the dog off the trail.

3.  Will your dogs help me find somebody who owes me money?

A.  Ummm...no.  But I have been asked that question.

4.  What makes a good SAR dog?  How do I know if my dog can be a SAR dog?

A:  This is not an easy question to answer.  There are a lot of qualifications that SAR teams need in their dogs, and a good nose is just one of them.  The two biggest things I see are socialization and drive.  On my team, I have heard this saying, and I like it:  "We can teach a dog to search, but we can't force a dog to work."  If the dog prefers to sit on the couch, then it would make a great pet, but not necessarily a working dog.  But if the dog has a strong prey-drive, if it loves to chase balls and go out on walks, and especially if you think "man, this dog needs a job," then the pup is probably motivated enough to work in SAR. 

On the other hand, if the dog doesn't like other animals or people, it probably won't work well in SAR.  SAR dogs have to associate with other pooches, and on a search they will definitely have to work with people in the area.  If the dog has strong anti-social tendencies, SAR work may not be the best thing for the pup.  And besides, if your dog hates people/animals, do you really want to put him in that situation?

5.  Okay, but which breed is best?  Are herding/working dogs better than say, toys?

A:  I have said before that a Pomeranian probably still smells scent better than a human, so from that regard, I personally wouldn't have a problem.  Breed is not the issue.  It all goes back to attitude and drive.  If you have a labrador retriever, but it doesn't want to search for anything, it probably won't like being a SAR dog.  And if you have a chihuahua that loves chasing balls and needs a job, well, I say try it!  Hey, if nothing else, consider this:  little dogs can get into places big dogs can't.

6.  How long does it take to train a dog in search and rescue?

A:  I have two answers to this one.  First, every dog is different.  I trained Mojo for 3-4 years before he was accepted by the team as a trained HRD.  On the other hand, Princess had been training for less than a year and already had surpassed Mojo.  So again, it varies from dog to dog.  Generally, though, expect about 2 years to train a SAR dog. 

The second answer is this:  Even with Mojo, it only took him a few months before he "got it."  The dogs pick up on the game pretty quick.  Humans, though -- we take a lot longer to train.  I am still learning to be a good canine handler. 

7.  Where do you get your dogs?  Will you train my dog?

A:  SAR dogs are pets.  They belong to the owners who bring them out on weekends to train them.  I have never heard differently.  And while we will be more than happy to show you how to train your dog, the training relies on the dog owner. 

8.  Ok, I think I have a dog that can do the work.  What kind of time committment am I getting in to?  How much training will I do?

Teams vary, but SARQuest trains once a week, usually on a weekend morning.  Each session is usually 4 hours long.  However, when getting started, expect to train your dog 2-3 times a week in addition to the weekend SAR training.  Keep in mind that these individual training sessions do not have to be long.  I try to keep them under 15 minutes when I first work with the dogs. 

9.  What breed is Mojo?  (Not SAR-related, but I still get it.)

A.  His mom was a blue heeler.  His dad was a white labrador/golden retriever mix. 

There you go.  Nine questions I constantly get (and don't mind answering).  If you can think of any others, let me know, and I will be happy to answer.