Perry wrote:Sean, I have wondered if dogs that are trained using cadavers from other environments might not search for the same aromatic chemicals and proportions of chemicals of a body in a desert environment. But I would think that the authorities would quickly figure out that the dogs need to be trained specifically using cadavers from a desert environment, if that's necessary. But if it is harder for the dogs in the desert, and Otherhand said he could easily smell remains in Death Valley, then it may be that the aromatic compounds are not uniquely human, so there's too many false positives from dead animals.
I read a couple scholarly articles on the subject. My impression is that these dogs are well-trained before being used in actual cases in the field. Practical problems, though, are often related to human error or ignorance. Trainers, for example, don't fully understand the dog's olfactory abilities. And handlers sometimes fail to recognize the dog's signals. But in this case they also have to contend with non-ideal terrain and weather.
Mr. Mahood found Norman Cox on an open salt flat seven months after the fact. He also benefited from cooperation with the Carson City sheriff, who gave him all the prior SAR data, plus he knew Cox was suicidal from a letter the guy wrote. People looking for the Orange County couple had none of these advantages. The JTree terrain is rocky and hidden, not flat and open. And it's only been a month. I wouldn't expect serious decomp to begin until the weather cools down. Maybe then the dogs and searchers will have better luck.
Made me laugh with that one Ed!
