Canada: K9 and his handler find 66 year-old woman who'd been lost for four days

CANADA -- A four-legged member of the RCMP is being praised by his colleagues after helping to track down a missing, vulnerable senior.

Irene Paquet, 67, was reported missing on July 30 by family members, who told North Cowichan police that she had "significant health issues."

Her daughters said she hadn't been seen since leaving her home on July 28, and she requires frequent doses of medications.

Worried about her condition, officers immediately launched a missing persons investigation, but the missing woman could not be found.

The woman's vehicle was found four days later "with hope fading by the hour," Nanaimo RCMP said in a statement. The vehicle was found by a motorcycle rider, abandoned on a logging road in the Copper Canyon area, about 40 kilometres west of Chemainus.

Search and Rescue crews from Duncan and Ladysmith were dispatched to the area, assisted by members of the Cowichan Valley Amateur Radio Society, but Paquet was still missing by nightfall.

The next day, an RCMP Air Services helicopter and police dog Boomer joined in the search.

Working with his handler, Const. Clay Wurzinger, Boomer sniffed the area for signs of a track or scent. After about five hours of searching a 15-kilometer area, the working canine caught a smell in the air, and led his handler over an embankment.

Overhead, an official in the helicopter spotted her and was able to direct Wurzinger to her location.

"Miraculously, the missing female was spotted lying at the base of the berm," police said.

Paquet was weak, uncomfortable and barely able to speak, but grabbed the officer's hand and whispered "Thank you," several times.

Wurzinger alerted Search and Rescue, and crews arrived within 15 minutes.
Emergency first aid was performed on the woman, who was then strapped to a spinal board and airlifted to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

"Her will to live was amazing and I give her credit for hanging on through what must have been an incredibly tough four days," Wurzinger said.

"It appears that her car got stuck, she left her car and started walking," Const. Gary O'Brien told CTV Vancouver Island, adding that rescuers thought "something tragic" might have happened had they not found her when they did.
"She was in really bad shape when they found her."

Paquet is expected to fully recover, and has already gained enough strength to walk around a bit.

Her daughters said they have no idea what their mother endured in the wilderness.

"It's very difficult for me to think about her outside by herself for a week, just wandering in the woods alone," Carrie Paquet told CTV.

"Day and night, out on those remote logging roads, I don't know how I myself would handle that," Celeste Paquet said.

"I would like to meet Boomer."

Mounties are crediting the perseverance of Boomer and his handler for the rescue, which Supt. Mark Fisher said made him proud.

"We are lucky to have them here," Fisher said in the statement.

Boomer was treated to a long rest and playtime with his favorite toy before going back to work.

(CTV News - Aug 8, 2016)

Authorities arrest Blair Trice and Christopher Williams, of the Southeast K-9 Search and Rescue, for multi-state theft ring. Children and search and rescue dogs found living in squalor.

TENNESSEE -- An elaborate theft ring involving the men who run a K-9 search and rescue group has been busted by authorities in Humphreys County.

McEwen police said both men, Blair Trice and Christopher Williams, were arrested after turning themselves in Wednesday morning.

 

Police said the two men, who help run the Southeast K-9 Search and Rescue, are accused of taking big-ticket items from various Walmart stores.

They face felony theft charges and have active warrants in several different cities.

News 2 learned that Tuesday night, while executing a search warrant in McEwen, officers found the stolen items in several storage sheds and a truck at a home on Long Street.

Some of the recovered stolen property

“We executed a search warrant here in McEwen and located approximately $7,000 of stolen merchandise from Walmarts here in Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri,” said Captain Michael Pate with the McEwen Police Department.

Investigators believe the two were advertising and reselling the goods for profit.

The Department of Children’s Services reportedly removed children from the home, and authorities are expecting the structure to be condemned.

Eight dogs belonging to the men were also taken by Animal Control Tuesday night.

 

“These dogs are supposed to be search and rescue dogs, and you’ll see in some of our photographs these dogs were living in deplorable conditions,” Capt. Pate said. “Their children were living in deplorable conditions.”

“It’s a very nasty, very tainted environment these people were living in,” he added.

 

The Southeast K-9 Search and Rescue team offered their efforts on high-profile cases such as the Holly Bobo and Danny Tomlinson cases.

Trice and Williams are due in court Jan. 20 at 9 a.m.

(WKRN - Dec 23, 2015)

Pennsylvania: Newfoundland dogs tackle water rescue at Codorus

PENNSYLVANIA -- When Benita Edds saw her 7-year-old Newfoundland Sydney's head coming from around the back of the boat and with it the two people she rescued, she started crying.

It was at that point Saturday at Codorus State Park that she knew Sydney had just passed the Water Rescue Dog Excellent test.

"It was amazing," Edds said. "We have been training for three years and for her to do so well today was incredible." 

Sydney was one of 25 Newfoundlands from as far south as North Carolina that were vying for rescue dog certification at the Colonial Newfoundland Club 2013 NCA Water Tests. There are three different levels, Water Dog, Water Rescue Dog and the highest, Water Rescue Dog Excellent.

Each dog must successfully complete a series of five exercises, and pass them all in order to earn the certificate. The tests get more difficult as the dogs get to the higher levels.

Edds was confident in Sydney, who has excelled in all but one event -- the three-person rescue -- during three years of training. On a boat 100 feet from shore, the dogs must jump off the boat, rescue all three people, about 75 feet away, and bring them back to the boat.

Kerouac, a 20-month-old Newfoundland, gets a hug by his owner
Beth Benton of Charlotte, N.C. after competing in the Colonial
Newfoundland Club 2013 NCA Water Tests at Codorus State Park Sunday.
 (YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL)

"She has done fabulous," Edds said. "She has been in the top 10 in the country in obedience and she is a champion, and an all-around good dog."

Edds is no stranger to competition. After competing in archery at Indiana State University, she finished 34th overall and was the third-highest scoring American in the 1984 Olympics.

Shortly after the Olympics, Edds rescued her first Newfoundland. It was actually a dozen dogs she rescued after seeing them starving to death in someone's backyard. The rest is history.

Newfoundlands are double coated so that they can handle the icy waters of Newfoundland or the warm water.

Sydney was not the only dog to pass a certification test on Saturday. Brodie, a 2-year old, passed the Water Dog level.

Owner Julia Sharkey from Maryland was overcome with emotion as she was enveloped by cheering friends once Brodie completed his last exercise.

"I am excited," Sharkey said. "This was the first time he has tested. We have been training for three months and he just loves the water, likes to hold stuff and get things. This was just a natural fit."

The training regime has been grueling and very time consuming for Brodie and his owner. They train every weekend at Codorus with five other Newfoundland owners.

 Karin Bystol, who is the chair of the test, noted how close the Newfoundland community is.

"We are all really close friends," Bystol said. "Even if you don't know people, you all have a common interest. Everyone wants everyone to do well. It is not a competition, it is individual."

(York Daily Record - Aug 26 2013)