Inside the life of a search and rescue puppy

Max, a 10-week-old German shepherd puppy, bounded through the grass of Lory State Park toward his new owner, Wendy Nicastle.

She crouched, hiding in the yellowing grass. When he got to her, she erupted in cheers and rubbed his back.

“Good job buddy,” she said.

Although Sunday's exercise was just a game for Max, finding a person in the future could mean life or death.

The simple hide-and-seek game was the beginning of more than 2,000 hours of training Max and Nicastle will go through together to prepare Max for a life as a search and rescue dog.

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Max made his debut on the Larimer County Search and Rescue Facebook page Oct. 9. He was donated by Scott Worthing, who lives in Kersey and owns Caliber Canines. Worthing was inspired to donate Max after he saw posts by LCSAR on Facebook about the deaths of two of their dogs this summer. Abby and Merlin, who had collectively gone on more than 130 missions for the volunteer organization, died within days of each other in June.

Worthing reached out and offered a puppy, and Nicastle agreed to adopt him.

Nicastle said she asked for the puppy with the most drive, one that was courageous and independent.

Max is all of that.

Last week, he met a group of 10 search and rescue team members and didn't shy away from them. In fact, he introduced himself to each of them individually, which Nicastle said is a big step for a puppy.

Max is one of three puppies currently training with LCSAR. Arya, a Dutch shepherd, and Milo, a labradoodle, are both in training as well.

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In the beginning, Max and Nicastle will play close games of hide-and-seek. The exercises are easy and Max is rewarded with toys, treats and cheers. It will help him build confidence before the exercises get more complicated until search and rescue volunteers create miles-long scent trails through the woods that he will track.

"I want him to be successful, and then he's so pleased with himself," Nicastle said.

Dog trainer veterans Jake Udel and Dan Fanning — who have been with LCSAR for 11 and 34 years, respectively — joined Max’s training Sunday. Fanning brought his yellow Labrador, Tripp, who is already certified, as well as puppy-in-training Milo.

Udel’s dog, Abby, was one of the two LCSAR dogs who died earlier this summer. The loss of his dog has been difficult, he said.

“It’s definitely hard,” Udel said. “But this has been my path for 10 years. This is the sort of thing, you don’t want to let it go fallow.”

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Both men said they feel a responsibility to provide their expertise for Nicastle. LCSAR volunteers train at least once a week for years to get their dogs ready. The two men helped shape Max’s exercises, made sure he drank water and lent Nicastle a mesh tarp she can use to keep her car cool when Max is inside.

“The way we operate is the more experienced folks help the less experienced folks bring their dogs along,” Fanning said. “We work collaboratively. We don’t have any way to pay somebody a lot of money and say, ‘Here, train my dog.’”

Once Max is ready, he’ll take certification tests and begin joining Nicastle on rescue missions.

However, Udel said the pings of missing people’s cellphones mean dogs are being used less frequently but that dogs still are a crucial component of LCSAR’s operations.

Udel and Abby flew to Mount Antero in a helicopter when a group went missing. Although they were not the team to find the missing people, they were able to canvas the area, rule out search quadrants and point other teams in the right direction.

“We’re not just out there to find a person,” Udel said. “We’re out there to clear an area and to find clues.”

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The input from dog teams informs the search and rescue manager about where to add or subtract resources, which expedites the searching process, a crucial component when time is of the essence looking for a lost person.

“Finding out they aren’t there is just as important as finding them,” Fanning said.

Sunday was an unseasonably warm, 84-degree day. Under the hot sun, Max began to tire.

After he “rescued” Wendy several times, she let him rest, and he snuggled in her lap.

"I've worked very hard on developing a bond with him," she said.

Then, Max lapped up his water and laid in the shade of the parking lot to take a well-earned nap.

More information

For more information, visit: larimercountysar.org/SARdogs.htm.