Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog

Susannah Charleson

Apr 2010 · Sold by HMH

About this ebook

A “haunting meditation on trust, hope and love” by a woman who adopts and trains a Golden Retriever puppy to become a search-and-rescue dog (People).
 
In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson’s attention was caught by a newspaper photograph of a canine handler, his exhausted face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog.
 
Susannah, a dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team, plunging herself into an astonishing new world. While the team worked long hours for nonexistent pay and often heart-wrenching results, Charleson discovered the joy of working in partnership with a canine friend and the satisfaction of using their combined skills to help her fellow human beings.
 
Once she qualified to train a dog of her own, Charleson adopted Puzzle—a smart, spirited Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitudes as a working dog, but was a bit less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Scent of the Missing is the story of Charleson’s adventures with Puzzle as they search for a lost teen; an Alzheimer’s patient wandering in the cold; and signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster—all while unraveling the mystery of the bond between humans and dogs.
 
“A riveting view of both the human animal bond and the training of search and rescue dogs. All dog lovers and people interested in training service dogs should read this book.” —Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human

Ratings and reviews

Susannah tells her story in a way that keeps moving yet seems to include all the details. From her start with SAR, learning from the handlers and dogs she assisted to going on her first search with Puzzle. Wow! What an awesome book. This is a "keeper" and one I'll read again and again. Funny, tense at times and through and through heartwarming are just a few of the words that come to mind. The words that communicate what is on the minds of the dogs (and cats too) seem spot on accurate. This book will bring many smiles to readers who love dogs and treasure that close connection that develops with some of our four legged friends.

I very much enjoyed the story of her and Puzzle's journey, as well as the inside look into the world of sesrch and rescue dog teams. I could hardly put it down. I laughed at some parts and also cried at others. Very touching and well written.

I read this book awhile back and was just touched. It is a great book for anyone not just those interested in canine service.

About the author

Susannah Charleson is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Scent of the Missing, as well as a flight instructor, service dog trainer, and canine search-and-rescue team member, who most recently began a non-profit organization called The Possibility Dogs, which rescues, trains, and places dogs with people suffering "unseen" disabilities. She lives with her search partner, Puzzle, a golden retriever certified for the recovery of missing persons, her service dog partner-in-training, Jake Piper, a German shepherd-pit bull-poodle mix, as well as a rabble of pomeranians, a chihuahua-cairn terrier mix, and two cats.