“Fiji,” a 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog perches on the bow of a small aluminum fishing boat. She’s not taking a leisurely boar ride: she’s working. Fiji works as a human remains detection dog with her owner and handler Jack Thorpe.
Also known as a cadaver dog, Fiji’s nose twitches, and her eyes fixate on the debris-strewn lake around her. She’s sniffing for victims trapped in the floodwater in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene left a 500-mile path of destruction from Florida to the Southern Appalachians.
Jack Thorpe
When they’re on the job, Thorpe sits inches from his dog, observing her for the slightest change in her body language. “When Fiji licks her lips and sits and stares at me without moving, she’s telling me there’s a body underwater,” says Thorpe, Nash County Sheriff’s Office deputy and the North Carolina Trooper’s Association K9 Search and Recovery Director.
Unlike search and rescue dogs, Fiji’s job is less hopeful, but serves an extremely important role. “She’s specially trained to pick up the scent of human decomposition in water and on land and isn’t trained to search for people alive,” Thrope says.
Annissia Justice
Once she locates a body, Fiji doesn’t dive into the water to find someone. After she lets her handler know a body is near, first responders retrieve the individual.
To do this work, cadaver dogs receive about 1,000 hours of intensive training with chemicals that mimic the scent of decomposing flesh. “I began training Fiji for cadaver work when she was 9 months old,” Thorpe says. “She was certified through the International Police Work Dog Association at 18 months.”
Jack Thorpe
Humans have six million scent receptors in their noses, while dogs have about 200 to 300 million. These canine super noses enable them to detect the scent of human remains lying under nearly 100 feet of water. On land, some dogs can detect a drop of blood or a bone shard and know the difference between a dead animal and a dead person.
“Air bubbles from the body are the first to emerge from the deceased. Dogs recognize the smell when the air floats to the water’s surface,” Thorpe says.
“The scent comes up through gasses to the water’s surface, but that doesn’t mean the body is directly under the scent,” explains Cat Warren, author of “What the Dog Knows.” “Dogs can start detecting the scent miles down the river because of a current.”
Jack Thorpe
When Fiji searches through rubble on land for victims, she walks back and forth before sitting and staring at Thorpe. “We train our dogs to use a passive alert, such as a stare, a sit, or a down,” Thorpe says. “On land or where there are buildings, two of our dogs use a bark alert, too, because they can’t lie down on piles of sharp concrete.”
Thorpe and Fiji arrived at the Summerfield base of operations in Western North Carolina a day after Hurricane Helene caused historic flooding and damage in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 28.
“I lived two hours from Asheville and received a callout from North Carolina Emergency Management to bring Fiji and my three cadaver teams to help find missing people trapped in the floodwater and on land,” says Thorpe. “We came right away.”
Annissia Justice
The teams working on land and water rotated in and out of the area as the search area was so immense and so many people were missing. They soon discovered the reality of working in this unprecedented disaster zone. No access to cell service, power, and running water was the least of their hardships. Floodwaters swept away hundreds of buildings, roads, homes, trees, mud, and vehicles. “This environment is very tough on dogs and humans,” Warren says. “They’re exposed to toxic chemicals, human waste, and debris.”
Along with Fiji, Thorpe’s three volunteer-trained teams provided additional support. Annissia Justice, Assistant Director of NC Troopers Association, brought “Dahlia,” a Belgian Malinois, Athena Haus came with her two Belgian Malinois, “Gypsy” and “Joey,” and Trish Danula arrived on the scene with “Tuula,” her German Shepherd Dog. 20 additional human remains detection dog teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helped with disaster recovery.
During training, dogs and handlers are exposed to various challenging environmental conditions to prepare them for natural disasters. And yet, nothing could’ve prepared them for the reality of Hurricane Helene’s fury. “You can’t always replicate this situation in training,” Warren says. “Training on rubble is one thing, but when they go out after a hurricane and flood, they’re out there learning as they go along.”
Thorpe has trained dozens of search and rescue and recovery dogs in his career. With 25 years of search and rescue and recovery experience, Thorpe thought he had seen everything. “I began training before 9/11, but in all these years, I’ve never seen anything like this, and it felt like a mini war zone,” he says.
Annissia Justice
Since much of the flooded areas are only accessible by boat, they slowly surveyed the search area at two to three miles per hour in a systematic cloverleaf formation through the muddy water.
“A lot of cadaver dogs may never make a find or only locate one or two remains in their careers,” Thorpe says. “In the first six days we were here, Fiji found 15 people.”
Jack Thorpe
Thorpe’s dog and handler teams were ready for rest after ten days of performing nearly 80 searches across Asheville, Lake James, Lake Tahoma, the Catawba River in McDowell County, and Madison County. “There’s no doubt that it wears on you, but to bring closure to families is so rewarding,” Thorpe says. “Best, too, is the bond I have with my dog, and I always want to keep going for those who are lost.”
At home, Fiji enjoys her time off, too. “She’s tired but always ready to go out again when we’re called,” Thorpe says.
The post German Shepherd Dog, ‘Fiji’ Brings Closure to Families of Missing Loved Ones After Hurricane Helene appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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Also known as a cadaver dog, Fiji’s nose twitches, and her eyes fixate on the debris-strewn lake around her. She’s sniffing for victims trapped in the floodwater in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene left a 500-mile path of destruction from Florida to the Southern Appalachians.
Jack Thorpe
Waiting for a Sign
When they’re on the job, Thorpe sits inches from his dog, observing her for the slightest change in her body language. “When Fiji licks her lips and sits and stares at me without moving, she’s telling me there’s a body underwater,” says Thorpe, Nash County Sheriff’s Office deputy and the North Carolina Trooper’s Association K9 Search and Recovery Director.
Unlike search and rescue dogs, Fiji’s job is less hopeful, but serves an extremely important role. “She’s specially trained to pick up the scent of human decomposition in water and on land and isn’t trained to search for people alive,” Thrope says.
Annissia Justice
Once she locates a body, Fiji doesn’t dive into the water to find someone. After she lets her handler know a body is near, first responders retrieve the individual.
Super-Powered Nasal Passages
To do this work, cadaver dogs receive about 1,000 hours of intensive training with chemicals that mimic the scent of decomposing flesh. “I began training Fiji for cadaver work when she was 9 months old,” Thorpe says. “She was certified through the International Police Work Dog Association at 18 months.”
Jack Thorpe
Humans have six million scent receptors in their noses, while dogs have about 200 to 300 million. These canine super noses enable them to detect the scent of human remains lying under nearly 100 feet of water. On land, some dogs can detect a drop of blood or a bone shard and know the difference between a dead animal and a dead person.
“Air bubbles from the body are the first to emerge from the deceased. Dogs recognize the smell when the air floats to the water’s surface,” Thorpe says.
“The scent comes up through gasses to the water’s surface, but that doesn’t mean the body is directly under the scent,” explains Cat Warren, author of “What the Dog Knows.” “Dogs can start detecting the scent miles down the river because of a current.”
Jack Thorpe
When Fiji searches through rubble on land for victims, she walks back and forth before sitting and staring at Thorpe. “We train our dogs to use a passive alert, such as a stare, a sit, or a down,” Thorpe says. “On land or where there are buildings, two of our dogs use a bark alert, too, because they can’t lie down on piles of sharp concrete.”
Reporting for Duty After Helene
Thorpe and Fiji arrived at the Summerfield base of operations in Western North Carolina a day after Hurricane Helene caused historic flooding and damage in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 28.
“I lived two hours from Asheville and received a callout from North Carolina Emergency Management to bring Fiji and my three cadaver teams to help find missing people trapped in the floodwater and on land,” says Thorpe. “We came right away.”
Annissia Justice
The teams working on land and water rotated in and out of the area as the search area was so immense and so many people were missing. They soon discovered the reality of working in this unprecedented disaster zone. No access to cell service, power, and running water was the least of their hardships. Floodwaters swept away hundreds of buildings, roads, homes, trees, mud, and vehicles. “This environment is very tough on dogs and humans,” Warren says. “They’re exposed to toxic chemicals, human waste, and debris.”
Along with Fiji, Thorpe’s three volunteer-trained teams provided additional support. Annissia Justice, Assistant Director of NC Troopers Association, brought “Dahlia,” a Belgian Malinois, Athena Haus came with her two Belgian Malinois, “Gypsy” and “Joey,” and Trish Danula arrived on the scene with “Tuula,” her German Shepherd Dog. 20 additional human remains detection dog teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helped with disaster recovery.
Bringing Closure to Families
During training, dogs and handlers are exposed to various challenging environmental conditions to prepare them for natural disasters. And yet, nothing could’ve prepared them for the reality of Hurricane Helene’s fury. “You can’t always replicate this situation in training,” Warren says. “Training on rubble is one thing, but when they go out after a hurricane and flood, they’re out there learning as they go along.”
Thorpe has trained dozens of search and rescue and recovery dogs in his career. With 25 years of search and rescue and recovery experience, Thorpe thought he had seen everything. “I began training before 9/11, but in all these years, I’ve never seen anything like this, and it felt like a mini war zone,” he says.
Annissia Justice
Working Through the Devastation
Since much of the flooded areas are only accessible by boat, they slowly surveyed the search area at two to three miles per hour in a systematic cloverleaf formation through the muddy water.
“A lot of cadaver dogs may never make a find or only locate one or two remains in their careers,” Thorpe says. “In the first six days we were here, Fiji found 15 people.”
Jack Thorpe
Thorpe’s dog and handler teams were ready for rest after ten days of performing nearly 80 searches across Asheville, Lake James, Lake Tahoma, the Catawba River in McDowell County, and Madison County. “There’s no doubt that it wears on you, but to bring closure to families is so rewarding,” Thorpe says. “Best, too, is the bond I have with my dog, and I always want to keep going for those who are lost.”
At home, Fiji enjoys her time off, too. “She’s tired but always ready to go out again when we’re called,” Thorpe says.
The post German Shepherd Dog, ‘Fiji’ Brings Closure to Families of Missing Loved Ones After Hurricane Helene appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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