FEMA Puts Dogs to the Test in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Emergency response dogs were put through their paces in Boone County over the weekend.

Thirteen dogs, ranging from border collies and black Labs to golden retrievers and German shepherds, took part in a program to prepare them for Federal Emergency Management Agency certification as disaster search dogs.

Nationwide, only about 200 dogs have FEMA certification to work for 28 urban search-and-rescue teams, said Lee Turner, a search team manager with Missouri Task Force 1.

The dogs are used to search buildings that might collapse from a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, and training the dogs takes a lot of time and effort.

''Your weekends are pretty much nonexistent,'' said Sonja Heritage, who brought her German shepherd, Czaro, from Fairfax, Va.

The dogs' agility and keen senses make them much better than humans in urban search and rescue, said Matt Schofield of the Missouri task force.

Dogs are trained to recognize human scents and follow them to victims, then bark and stand their ground until their handlers arrive. A year or two of training is required to qualify for FEMA certification.

Dogs must be healthy and agile, and they tend to be restless.

''Some of these dogs wouldn't make the world's best house pet,'' Turner said. ''They're too busy. If you have this dog in your house, it would find a way to get on top of your kitchen table. It would find a way to get on top of your refrigerator.''

In one exercise, Sky, a 9-year-old border collie with emergency rescue team Colorado Task Force 1, needed only seconds to find a woman under a pile of rubble, surrounded by concrete.

Some of the dogs are veterans.

Cathy Schiltz of Ashland and her Australian shepherd, Hawk, were part of the Missouri task force's response to New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Handlers must train with the dogs every day be ready to deploy at any time, she said.

The dogs can come from almost any source, Heritage said.

''We like the dogs that no one wants to have as pets,'' she said.