In 2022, Dennis Lauck was enjoying dinner with his wife, Bev, when he received an urgent call. A little girl was missing. There had been hours-long searches to no avail. Lauck and his dog, Nico, were needed to help find her.
When Lauck and Nico arrived at the girl’s residence, they found the front yard crowded with police, friends and neighbors. They approached the girl’s distraught parents and asked for an article of the girl’s clothing. Nico sniffed the clothing and immediately ran to the back yard with Lauck in tow where they found the little girl standing in tears. She had returned, but was frightened by the large crowd of people. After consoling the girl, Lauck reunited her with her family.
“There was much relief and joy,” Lauck recalled. “We were thanked profusely. Nico got a treat and lots of hugs.”
This was just one of some 150 searches that Lauck and Nico participated in over five years while volunteering with Southwest Search Dogs (swsearchdogs.com), a nonprofit that trains search dogs and provides volunteer assistance primarily to San Diego police and occasionally other police agencies.
“Most people are unaware of our existence except for police officers and families who see us out there and see that police take us seriously,” Lauck said.
“I’ve seen many teary-eyed mothers so appreciative of our dogs. Afterward, everyone wants to pet the dog.”
It is not often that the search ends in the backyard. One search by Julie Swain and her dog for a 12-year-old runaway, led police to a bus stop where the dog lost the girl’s scent. Police correctly surmised she took the bus to a trolley station. In checking station cameras, they discovered she took a trolley to the border. Border officials stopped her before she was able to cross into Mexico to meet her 18-year-old boyfriend.
All search requests begin with a call from police to a Southwest Search Dog dispatcher who then texts for help from handlers and their trained dogs. Two-thirds of the calls occur between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. A dog and handler usually arrive within 40 minutes.
They have conducted searches for persons under a wide range of circumstances, such as attempted suicides, runaways, abductions and persons with dementia or other serious medical conditions. Searches have also been conducted to recover bodies.
The success rate is extraordinary. “We’ve calculated that in 91% of searches we go on the person was located,” Lauck said. “The 9% include those where we never heard what happened.”
The dog, handler and police are partners in the search. Often, as with the girl traveling to Mexico, the dog’s scent leads to clues that help police ultimately find the person.
Lauck, a retired San Diego architect, volunteers to train search dogs. Most breeds, he said, are capable of being trained depending on the dog’s temperament. Handlers must be reasonably fit for a level walk up to 5 miles, be capable of helping the dog over fences and have the time and patience for training. The training period is up to 18 months with weekly training sessions and practice at home.
The dog learns through repetition and rewards to associate smell with a person and follow the scent, building up in distance and the scent’s duration. The dog is certified after meeting certain criteria and following a 24-hour-old scent over, at least, three-quarters of a mile through urban and wilderness conditions. The test is repeated every other year.
Trained search dogs are capable of following a multi-day scent for as much as 5 miles.
Lauck says the personal satisfaction of helping the community, police and families is part of the reason he volunteers.
“The other part is the connection you make with your dog,” he said. “It is extraordinary and unique.”
“You read your dog as the search is being conducted. You watch his tail, his sniffing and you read him. Your dog is also reading you. This is truly a partnership.
“Every time I run my dog, I am still amazed at my dog’s superpowers.”
About this series
Goldsmith is a Union-Tribune contributing columnist.
We welcome reader suggestions of people who have done something extraordinary or otherwise educational, inspiring or interesting and who have not received much previous media. Please send suggestions to Jan Goldsmith at [email protected]
