Sad outcome. My dogs were correct that he was dead in the water but they indicated more towards bucannan lake next to the river.

www.k9sardog.com

 We've had quite a busy year.

347 SAR call requests for missing persons and lost pets.

What's nice is we had some very nice happy endings (live saves) and of course as usual some very sad endings.

Lots of suicides and accidental drowning calls.

Let's see what 2023 brings.

www.k9sardog.com

 Stephanie Lehman

Miss Mina is 14 years old, blind. She left out the door and within 5min we were searching for her. It was dense and frozen fog, very cold outside. The fog muffled our voices I couldn't even hear my son calling for her. She simply lost her way back. I was crying when I spoke with Harry that morning and he offered to come out but I said it is the holiday and I no $$ to offer him. He came out anyway within the hour of me calling him. That was the first time I had met him but I have known of him for about 10 years now. I send Harry posts about other missing animals in the area, or advice for owners with lost pets. So Harry is the guy to go to! I'm glad to have him as my friend. I wanted to pet the dogs, but they had a job to do, not a time for visiting and wagging tails. I was amazed at how fast they found results. We were positive that she was in the fairgrounds. But after a week of going back and forth and leaving pee trails, she never came back. We thought at that point someone had her. Yes, the lady who works at the fairgrounds, after a week Mina came out very hungry and frail and allowed someone to pick her up. She took her home and posted once but I must have missed that, until the other day sitting working and the photo popped up on my feed. Never give up hope!

Successful find by sar dogs and harry oakes 

www.k9sardog.com

Stephanie Lehman is feeling excited.

22h  · 

UPDATE: Miss Mina is home!

Miss Mina is coming home! I want to thank Jenny Sorenson for taking care of her. I want to thank Harry Oakes for coming out on his own time Thanksgiving Day to help search. His search and rescue dogs tracked her to the fairgrounds. We couldn't get in that Friday for the gates were locked. No death scent. My son and I went back the next few days and called but no luck. The lady who found her found her at the fairgrounds. So she went home to get her and bringing her back right now!

 

 Finding a missing person along a busy roadway, highway, or trail.

I was talking to a mother whose son is missing while driving from Wofford Heights, CA and Bakersfield, Ca.

I understand that the local SAR Dogs are deployed via the local office of emergency management and sheriff's office.

But wouldn't it be nice if one of the local SAR Dog teams trained in Tracking, trailing, air scenting for live/dead human scent would meet with the mother of the missing son, get a scent item, go to PLS and try to track his scent on their own and use it as a training exercise?

1). As you drive you leave scent. It escapes out of the vehicle through and open window, air vent. Falls alongside the roadway and can be tracked up to 18 months later.

2). It's a very difficult and time-consuming type of search.

3). It's a very dangerous type of search in that you as a dog handler must avoid becoming "ROADKILL". from all the other folks out there driving along.

4). In the early morning hours, air currents flow UP HILL from the canyons, cliffs down below.

All the handler must do is drive the route and look for places where a person could have left the roadway (accidently) maybe to avoid a collision with a deer, or other wildlife.

Here's the hard part. While avoiding the roadkill situation you must be very aware of the wind current speed and direction.

Many times, I've found victims by working this type of search. If I can do this, so can you.

While making sure the winds are coming from the canyon / cliffs below the roadway, get out, put on your vehicle flashers or pull over somewhere where you can check your area. Get your dog out, introduce the scent, give him/her the command to work or go find and work the area.

If you can establish a valid track / trail great. Most likely because of cross contamination, you won't be able to unless your very skilled in reading your dog. What you will be watching for is an air scent alert and most likely a major stress/death alert. If you don’t know what the stress / death alerts are, then you shouldn’t call yourself a dog handler.

When your dog first alerts, stop, get out your GPS, compass, and map. Mark where on the map or on a notebook, wind direction, wind speed, air temperature, and exact location. Then continue until you lose the alert. (Very important). Document again GPS, Compass bearings of the wind, wind speed, location.

Where your dog first alerted on a map draw a straight line (Into the wind). When the dog stopped alerting, draw another straight line into the wind. Where the two lines intersect, is usually where you’ll find your source of alerts.

No different really than doing a water search or field or wilderness search in rugged terrain.

If someone from the area could perform this type of search, it could very possibly bring closure to a very distraught family who needs answers.

Be safe out there. Make sure you wear safety vest, head lamp and keep your dog on a long trailing/tracking lead. Take plenty of water breaks.

Respectfully
Mr. Oakes
K9 SAR coordinator/Instructor
www.k9sardog.com

DEA agent who helped put Viktor Bout behind bars slams Brittney Griner swap: ‘We couldn’t even get two people for the world’s most notorious weapons trafficker’ (yahoo.com)

I can never understand how a traitor to the USA is allowed to be returned yet a US MC Hero is still being held.???
WTF?


h

 51 years of Service to the world.

I'm coming up on 51 years of providing both volunteer and paid SAR Rescue work to the world.

It's been a real privilege to respond, help find the living and the dead during times of disasters around the world.

California quakes fires floods mud slides

Oregon floods fires mud slides 

Washington Floods fires mud slides

Missouri Tornado

Oklahoma City Bombing Disaster

Armenia quake sent medical gear.

1990 quake Philippines Sent two dog handlers and K9 SAR Dogs along with 25 support staff doctors nurses etc.

1999 Turkey quakes x 2. Responded found 71 dead 14 alive. Paid my own way donated my time.

China and Japan quakes (worked as a consultant) volunteering my time.

Hurricane Mitch Honduras. Sent two dog teams and sar dogs we found 28 victims buried in the rubble.

Total of 29 disasters over the years.

Received over 14,806 SAR Calls for missing persons, lost pets, evidence searches.

Extremely successful on all of our work around the world.

To all who supported me, Thank you. For all the "Harry Haters who bad mouthed me through out my career. A big GFY to each and everyone of them. I never once seen them pay their own way, donate their own time, risk their own lives to work in these cases.

It's been a very hard career. Physically demanding, emotionally demanding. Despite everything and everyone, in the end you can say I was 100% honest in all I said and did, and was the most successful K9 SAR Coordinator and handler in the world responding to the various types of calls.

www.k9sardog.com

Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr.

K9 SAR coordinator /  Instructor.