Part two:
Then Sat I took Chimo and Tika to see if the hay field around the pond was mowed down or at least low enough that their chicken handler would venture in with them. shudders at the thoughts of the possible wigglies Anyway as we headed up the trail to the pond Chimo and Tika were out a head of me, off lead and I heard a strange sound behind me. I turned and looked and saw a guy riding his moutain bike up the trail (wide enough for a vehicle but closed to traffic). I called Chimo and Tika to come back to me which they both did before the biker got to me. He politely said "thank you" as he rode by which was refreshing in todays mostly rude society. I walked the dogs on leash a little further up until the biker was around the bend and then I let them loose again. This is when I first saw the 'hunters orange' up near the clearing to go into the field with the pond. It was short lived that it retained my attention because I had to keep calling Tika to come back to me. I could tell by her body posture that SHE was thinking the biker might be lost and needed her to go find him. Tika and Chimo are both retired SAR dogs. I finally convinced Tika that she needed to stay closer to me and she was a little sad. She really wanted to find the missing biker. We were nearing the entrance to the field with the pond and I identified the "hunter's orange" as a SAR person with a standard poodle. I leashed Chimo and Tika and we talked to "the poodle lady" for a few minutes. She mentioned that there was her down here and a Lab working up at the top part of the field. I decided we could walk up the path a little ways and then by the time we got back down the poodle would be working and we could duck in behind them and head down to the pond without interferring with them. Well we got up to the top part of the field and I let Tika and Chimo head in so I could scout around to see if the poodle was out working. BOTH of them start looking towards the corner of the field where the hay and woods met. My first thought was "whoops they found the missing person" so we headed back out and down the trail. We were about 25 yards down and another handler with a Lab came out from where we just were. I asked if she was just down in the area where Tika and Chimo had indicated and she said yes. I laughed "well that makes the second SAR handler team that my guys found today!" We then continued back down the trail. The poodle wasn't at the pond entrance so we headed in so Chimo and Tika could play which was our intention when we headed out today. I cut them loosed to hit the pond and they played for a bit but not long and we were going to head back out. Keep in mind the poodle handler mentioned her and a lab team. Were we not shocked to run smack into a female SHEPHERD that was now working by the entrance. Had I known there were more we would not have gone in to present an unexpected distraction. Turns out the owner of the female shepherd was someone that was on the old team that I had known for some time but I had not run into since I left the team 4 years ago.
Chimo, Tika and I hung around and chatted with them some. As they sent each dog on a find poor Tika was bouncing and whining. She SOOOO badly wanted to work. They were finishing things up and Donna asked the one guy if he would lay a quick problem for Tika. He was more than willing to and he laid a quick track for her. I wasnt sure what to do with Chimo and I figured I would let T work off lead as that is what she did in the past, and I would just keep Chimo on leash with me. T took off and was working her normal zig zag airscenting pattern. Chimo was dragging me on the track so I just cut him loose before he made me fall. I saw Tika stop and look ahead then back to me and she waited. I could see the orange of his vest and knew that she found him. Chimo was trailing along and was already passed Tika and shoving his nose in the neck and face of the GUY that was hiding!!!! I told Tika what an AWESOME job she did (she did indicate and her verbal reward is when she goes into the vic to get her physical reward. She is goofy!
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). She got all kinds of rubs and scritches from the vic and Chimo was BOUNCING AND SMILING all around him just wagging his tail and just sooooooooo happy!
You can take the dogs out of SAR but you cant take the SAR training out of the dog regardless of how long it has been since they worked. Tika had not worked in 4 years and Chimo was closer to 5 years removed. Needless to say I am incredibly proud of my Paq. I have to admit KC and Rayne were a little miffed that they "only got to ignore the black hairy mop and play in the river while Chimo and Tika kept finding all these people that didnt know that they were missing when they were found."
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Then Sat I took Chimo and Tika to see if the hay field around the pond was mowed down or at least low enough that their chicken handler would venture in with them. shudders at the thoughts of the possible wigglies Anyway as we headed up the trail to the pond Chimo and Tika were out a head of me, off lead and I heard a strange sound behind me. I turned and looked and saw a guy riding his moutain bike up the trail (wide enough for a vehicle but closed to traffic). I called Chimo and Tika to come back to me which they both did before the biker got to me. He politely said "thank you" as he rode by which was refreshing in todays mostly rude society. I walked the dogs on leash a little further up until the biker was around the bend and then I let them loose again. This is when I first saw the 'hunters orange' up near the clearing to go into the field with the pond. It was short lived that it retained my attention because I had to keep calling Tika to come back to me. I could tell by her body posture that SHE was thinking the biker might be lost and needed her to go find him. Tika and Chimo are both retired SAR dogs. I finally convinced Tika that she needed to stay closer to me and she was a little sad. She really wanted to find the missing biker. We were nearing the entrance to the field with the pond and I identified the "hunter's orange" as a SAR person with a standard poodle. I leashed Chimo and Tika and we talked to "the poodle lady" for a few minutes. She mentioned that there was her down here and a Lab working up at the top part of the field. I decided we could walk up the path a little ways and then by the time we got back down the poodle would be working and we could duck in behind them and head down to the pond without interferring with them. Well we got up to the top part of the field and I let Tika and Chimo head in so I could scout around to see if the poodle was out working. BOTH of them start looking towards the corner of the field where the hay and woods met. My first thought was "whoops they found the missing person" so we headed back out and down the trail. We were about 25 yards down and another handler with a Lab came out from where we just were. I asked if she was just down in the area where Tika and Chimo had indicated and she said yes. I laughed "well that makes the second SAR handler team that my guys found today!" We then continued back down the trail. The poodle wasn't at the pond entrance so we headed in so Chimo and Tika could play which was our intention when we headed out today. I cut them loosed to hit the pond and they played for a bit but not long and we were going to head back out. Keep in mind the poodle handler mentioned her and a lab team. Were we not shocked to run smack into a female SHEPHERD that was now working by the entrance. Had I known there were more we would not have gone in to present an unexpected distraction. Turns out the owner of the female shepherd was someone that was on the old team that I had known for some time but I had not run into since I left the team 4 years ago.
Chimo, Tika and I hung around and chatted with them some. As they sent each dog on a find poor Tika was bouncing and whining. She SOOOO badly wanted to work. They were finishing things up and Donna asked the one guy if he would lay a quick problem for Tika. He was more than willing to and he laid a quick track for her. I wasnt sure what to do with Chimo and I figured I would let T work off lead as that is what she did in the past, and I would just keep Chimo on leash with me. T took off and was working her normal zig zag airscenting pattern. Chimo was dragging me on the track so I just cut him loose before he made me fall. I saw Tika stop and look ahead then back to me and she waited. I could see the orange of his vest and knew that she found him. Chimo was trailing along and was already passed Tika and shoving his nose in the neck and face of the GUY that was hiding!!!! I told Tika what an AWESOME job she did (she did indicate and her verbal reward is when she goes into the vic to get her physical reward. She is goofy!
You can take the dogs out of SAR but you cant take the SAR training out of the dog regardless of how long it has been since they worked. Tika had not worked in 4 years and Chimo was closer to 5 years removed. Needless to say I am incredibly proud of my Paq. I have to admit KC and Rayne were a little miffed that they "only got to ignore the black hairy mop and play in the river while Chimo and Tika kept finding all these people that didnt know that they were missing when they were found."
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