In whiteout conditions, Walters said it is best for rescue teams to point out or create a contrasting color or shape for him to watch for from the helicopter, such as the bright orange shirts the K-9 Search and Rescue team wears.<\/p>\n
Hamilton suggested rescuers carry a can of spray paint and make an \u201cX\u201d in the snow.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sets you apart from the other 15 or 20 snowmobiles out there,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n
AirCare also assists in retrieving bodies found by dogs trained to find them.<\/p>\n
The search and rescue dogs getting accustomed to helicopters on Saturday were a German shepherd, a black Labrador, a black Labrador-bloodhound mix and an Australian shepherd and border collie puppy mix.<\/p>\n
River, a 2-year-old German shepherd, wore mutt goggles and muffs for the helicopter landing, and was raring to go during the training.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a bright dog, she\u2019s just got to mature more,\u201d her handler Nancy Sklavos said.<\/p>\n
One-year-old Kemper did not like the helicopter, either, handler Taylor McFerrin said.<\/p>\n She joined the team to get to know the area and learn new things, though she\u2019s worked with the Montezuma County Search and Rescue team.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s extremely educational,\u201d McFerrin said. \u201cI\u2019m learning to train dogs better, and I\u2019m learning more about myself.\u201d<\/p>\n But Quiddity, Chuck Melvin\u2019s 7-year-old dog, remained calm. She is certified in human remains and water detection.<\/p>\n Melvin has been involved with K-9 Search and Rescue since 1984. He was a reserve deputy for the county when a hunter went missing, and the agency couldn\u2019t find him. Melvin and a group of people advocated for a dog rescue team in the area.<\/p>\n Handlers train and own their own rescue dogs. The current K-9 Search and Rescue team has two certified rescue dogs and four or five in training, Shaffer said.<\/p>\n The dogs are trained for specific purposes. Area dogs use scent to find a missing person, trailing dogs track missing people and can smell anything from a tooth to a full body.<\/p>\n Individual handlers also go through a training process. To be certified, handlers have to have advanced wilderness first aid skills, be able to use a map and compass to navigate as well as a GPS, and use radios to communicate.<\/p>\n Melvin said the job is a \u201cblend between art and science.\u201d<\/p>\n Handlers need to pay attention to the wind and which scents the dogs might be picking up, in addition to the other skills.<\/p>\n \u201cHow you put that together is the art,\u201d Melvin said.<\/p>\n Shaffer said it takes the rescue dogs about 600 hours to finish training, and it takes handlers about 1,000 hours to finish training.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dogs learn faster than the people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The K-9 team is independent, and travels wherever they are needed. A few of the members are from New Mexico and do rescue work there.<\/p>\n \u201cCOVID slowed things down,\u201d Randy Bouet, a rescue dog handler, said. But over the past month, there have been at least four calls because \u201cpeople are trying to get back to normal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bouet said recreators should bring one of the many gadgets that tracks their location and can send it through the proper channels to make missions \u201cless of a search and more of a rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n K-9 Search and Rescue also trains with Flight For Life Colorado with Centura Health out of Mercy Regional Medical Center. When Southwest Memorial Center gets an air ambulance, K-9 Search and Rescue will start training with Classic Air Medical, as well.<\/p>\n Each medical helicopter service has unique requirements, Shaffer said.<\/p>\n The K-9 Search and Rescue team finished their Saturday with practice in Boggy Draw, where volunteers walk the trail and hide, and the rescue dogs search them out.<\/p>\n The team will hold a similar practice at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n Shaffer said the team is \u201calways looking for volunteers\u201d to hide and to join K-9 Search and Rescue. She can be reached at vvshaffer7@gmail.com<\/a> or 759-8975.<\/p>\n \u201cWe train once a month,\u201d Shaffer said.<\/p>\n