Cowee Volunteer Fire and Rescue is now the home of Macon County’s first K9 search and rescue unit.
While local police forces use K9s for a variety of purposes, Fire Chief Dustin Pendergrass says that until recently, the nearest K9s trained in “air scent” search and rescue were in South Caro-lina. Earlier this year, that unit sent a K9 on a three-hour trip to Macon County to assist in the search for a missing juvenile and found the subject after just 45 minutes. Time is a critical factor during a search effort, so Pendergrass and his department decided that it was about time Macon County got some help closer to home.
“In the past, we’ve relied solely on boots on the ground for search and rescue,” Pendergrass said. “When it happens, especially at this time of year, whether it’s a child or an adult, time is of the essence.”
Search and rescue K9s are trained to use their excellent sense of smell to track a person’s scent over distances upward of a mile. Because the dogs don’t rely on ground tracks, they don’t have to follow the subject’s exact path and can potentially find them faster. They also aren’t deterred by interference with the subject’s path, such as inclement weather or other foot traffic.
“Where I feel that our K9s will be most beneficial is they are trained in air scent, meaning they do not rely on ground tracking,” reads a recent release from the fire department. “For example, if rescuers have been in an area searching and we bring our K9s in, the foot traffic from the rescuers should not hinder the K9’s ability to get a scent.”
The department committed to getting this unit started a few months ago, and Pendergrass has been amazed by how quickly it’s all come together. Their first two K9s were donated by PAWS Dog Training in Young Harris, Georgia, due partly to a chance meeting. Local handlers and fire fighters have volunteered their own dogs to either start working with the unit immediately or get the necessary certification. All told, the department is working with six certified K9s already with three more on the way. So far, they’ve been a joy to work with.
“I’ve been working with hunting dogs and training them for years, and I can tell you these dogs become part of the family,” said Assistant Fire Chief Larry Pickens, handler for K9 Ava.
K9 Tracker has already been deployed on his first job, where he contributed to a successful search and rescue in Clay County. Considering this is North Carolina’s only unit west of Asheville, it’s not hard to imagine that many more search and rescue efforts will hinge on these dogs. Pendergrass says that the department is determined to make K9s a valuable part of search and rescue in Macon County and beyond.
“We’ve got a lot of people who are dedicated to this project,” Pendergrass said. “This is something we really want to do.”
For more information on K9 search and rescue in Macon County, call Cowee Volunteer Fire and Rescue at 828-369-7611.