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The nose knows best
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Review Photo/BRIAN BISHOP Tim Karas and Pride, a 9-year-old multi-purpose, search-and-rescue dog.
BY BRIAN BISHOP
Waverly, N.Y. - Have you ever taken a hike in the woods and gotten turned around or lost? Would you know what to do if you did?
These are some of the questions Pat and Tim Karas, of Heritage K-9 Search Rescue Tracking Service in Van Etten, N.Y., asked middle and high schools students Wednesday at the Waverly Middle School. The group of students consisted of members of Waverly's Animal Care Club as well as any other interested students, according to Penny Meyers, Animal Care Club advisor.
The Karas brought along "Pride," a 9-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, to talk to the kids about how their dogs track and find people, and what steps they could take to help rescuers find them if they did get lost.
Pat Karas gave the kids advice on how to assist rescuers in their efforts, such as: staying in a building, such as a mall; staying on trails in the woods; wearing bright clothing, and watching for the bright clothing of rescuers and rescue dogs. She also encouraged them to pack a whistle when going on hikes, as a rescue dog can hear the sound of a whistle at a much greater distance then a human; and to respond to a call each time, as the dogs can hear a response even when their human counterparts can't. She also told the kids they should stay still and wait for help to arrive and not follow the sound of voices, which could be misleading.
She also gave the kids some advice on what to do when encountering bears, such as not turning to run, but backing away slowly, and staying out of trees as bears are excellent climbers.
Pat Karas said they have been working with tracking/rescue dogs for around 33 years, previously using Golden Retrievers and Labradors, many of whom were rescued from animal shelters or homes where they weren't wanted. Now, the couple has three multi-purpose rescue dogs, all Chesapeake Bay Retrievers from a kennel in Virginia, she said.
The dogs fulfill a variety of tracking jobs, she said, such as finding lost/missing/evasive persons, finding article evidence in both rescue missions and criminal cases, recovery missions on land and water, and even looking for old gravesites, such as on the Gettysburg battlefield.
Pat Karas said the Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are great swimmers, with an enormous amount of strength, make good search dogs and are a joy to train. She is also a trainer/instructor, she said, and has helped law enforcement agencies train dogs for tracking and recovery.
The kids were given a demonstration of just how well the dogs can track when 11th grader Chris Burlingame left a trail for the dog to track, and hid in the bleachers on the school grounds while Pride waited. The dog quickly found the trail, and Burlingame.
Brian Bishop can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or e-mail: bbishop@thedailyreview.com.
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