Archie had one day of field experience when the call came in. Three children, one 9-year-old and two 6-year-olds, wandered off from a large group camping near the Midland Bike Trail east of Buena Vista, Colorado. Their family noticed them gone around 9 a.m. Saturday, searched for two hours, and called the sheriff at about 11 a.m.
Deputies brought in foot teams, drones and a helicopter, plus Archie, the newest canine deputy at the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office. His handler, C.J. Meseke, needed something carrying the children’s scent, and a stuffed animal from the campsite did it. Archie put his nose down and started south and southeast almost at once. Teams on foot followed the line he drew and found all three children about 1.5 miles from camp, uninjured, around 2 p.m.
A track is only as good as its start
The detail worth noticing is the stuffed animal. Scent work begins with one specific odor, and a toy the children had handled gave Archie a place to start. Handlers work around wind and terrain, which is why the searchers on foot moved in behind the dog instead of ahead of him. Archie finished his first mission the same day it began, and his handler later called him the best partner he has ever had.
What this means for your dog
You can run the same game at home. Pick a favorite toy, let your dog watch you hide it, then name the toy and send them to find it, with a treat when they do. Build up to hiding it in another room while your dog waits. On a trail the partnership looks different, where a dog carrying their own gear has a job for the whole walk, and where the 130-pound dog who quit mid-hike is a reminder to watch your dog’s pace on the way back to camp.