Dogs, owners training as part of Cape County's new search and rescue unit

More than a dozen dogs ran, jumped and sniffed their way through a portion of Cape County Park on Sunday afternoon. Some timid pups stayed close to their owners, while older dogs ventured into the park's forest. The typical barks and whimpers filled the air, and dog treats and tennis balls were plentiful.

But this was not a normal Sunday frolic; it was practice for potential heroes.

The 14 dogs and their owners were training as a part of the Cape Girardeau County Search and Rescue K9 Unit, a newly formed volunteer team that will be used to find missing people, both dead and alive.

The unit was formed in December after interest in missing-person searches spiked following Jacque Waller's disappearance, said K9 unit chief Scott Fornkohl. Waller has been missing since June 1, and several searches have been conducted for the missing mother of three in the last eight months.

"There was a lot of Cape County interest from people wanting to team up here," said Fornkohl, who has spent six years on the Scott County Search and Rescue K-9 Unit. "A lot of people wanted to join the team but didn't want to drive down to Scott County all the time."

Inexperienced dogs and owners make up most of the unit, which has yet to participate in any searches, but Fornkohl said that with time and diligence, the team will have a fleet of capable canines. The unit practices on weekends in various locations throughout the county.

Dogs train for roughly 15 weeks to become nationally certified.

During training, the dogs, which are mostly German shepherds, exercise skills needed to track down a missing person. A typical drill will have a person hide in a wooded area but leave an article of clothing behind for the dog to pick up the scent. Once it gets the person's smell, it will take its owner on a search to find the person.

To prepare for searches, the dogs train in all weather conditions and in different areas, including parks and buildings.

The dogs' ages range from 6 months to 4 years, public relations officer Lisa Little said. Dogs must be friendly to join the unit. While search dogs typically come from sporting and working breeds, dogs of any breed are accepted.

Jerimy Obergoenner's 2-year-old German shepherd, Raska, has only been with the unit for two training sessions, but she is a star pupil. Obergoenner began training Raska when she was 15 months old and she has grown into an obedient companion. Obergoenner can throw Raska's chew toy, but she will only retrieve on his command.

Training to be a search and rescue dog staves off Raska's boredom, Obergoenner said.

"We're eager to get her more involved," Obergoenner said. "This is a great way for her to interact with other dogs and give back to the community."

Not just for dogs

Human participation and training is crucial to the unit's success, Fornkohl said, noting that the unit has 21 members and is always searching for more.

Members must undergo a background check and complete courses in CPR, first aid, radio communications and map, compass and global positioning navigation. In addition to training the dogs, human members of the team maintain radio communications, navigate and keep an eye out for potential problems, Little said.

While most of the team's members have dogs, anyone interested in search and rescue can join the group, Little said.

Human training is similar to dog training, only without a scent. A team member will hide in an area but leave behind different items to help a fellow team member track them, said unit captain Gary Sappington.

"Training the humans is as important as training the dogs," Sappington said. "There are times when we won't have a scent and we'll have to track someone by finding things they left behind."

Helping search efforts

The search unit is a branch of Cape Girardeau County Emergency Management and is dispatched through the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff John Jordan said that, while the unit is independent from the department, it will be a valuable commodity.

"We'll be able to have a resource that's closer in the event that someone goes missing," Jordan said. "Typically we'll have to wait on other agencies, but now we won't."

Jordan acknowledged that local police departments have canine units, but that those are typically used in short-term operations, like drug searches and pursuits. Having a recovery search unit will be beneficial because it can be used for long-term searches, Jordan said.

Bobby Sherrill, who assists with the Scott County search unit, said the presence of another unit nearby will benefit his team with missions, namely the Jacque Waller search.

"The more cooperative units, the better," he said.

Although the Cape Girardeau County unit is a government entity, it is a not-for-profit organization. The unit's budget is roughly $5,000, and that will fund all the training courses the members must complete.

The unit will hold a rummage and bake sale at the Missouri National Guard Armory on April 21 to raise money for the training costs.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635