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Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-And-Rescue Dog by Susannah Charleson
dharma130's review
5.0
Dog lovers, you'd love this book! So interesting. I'm ready to volunteer Roscoe to be a search and rescue dog!!!! Quick, easy read.
jgintrovertedreader's review
4.0
Susannah Charleson sort of fell into search-and-rescue. After volunteering as an assistant for her local search-and-rescue team, she eventually received approval to train a dog of her own. After a prolonged nation-wide search, the Golden Retriever Puzzle landed in her lap.
I'm not a huge non-fiction reader. Let's take a peek at my shelves, shall we? Let's see.... I've labeled 1252 read books as fiction and 129 as non-fiction. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the true stories.
Yet I was drawn to the story of Susannah and Puzzle. I don't watch the news a lot, but even I have noticed that whenever a disaster happens, there's always footage of a SAR (search-and-rescue) worker and his or her dog in the background. I did not realize that these workers are volunteers who spend hours training each week, not to mention the time that they spend actively searching. What a huge commitment to make to help out other people.
When I was asked if I wanted to read and review this book, I asked the publicist, "Is this one of those books where you get all attached to the animal and then you sob the last fifty pages as they get sick and die? 'Cuz I don't do the whole crying thing." To my relief, the answer is that Puzzle is still alive and well.
And what a dog Puzzle is! She is highly intelligent and creative, and through Susannah's eyes we can watch Puzzle reasoning her way through the problems she's confronted with. I was amazed at some of the stories I read, not just about Puzzle but about all the dogs in their SAR team. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say much, but just think about training in burnt buildings and the myriad of scents these dogs must be confronted with. I had no idea that SAR dogs can work on the water also. Who knew? Oh, and the picture of the volunteer and his dog rappelling down the side of a building together blew me away. A dog calmly rappelling? Wow.
There's one section where Susannah writes feelingly about her time as an assistant on the search after the Columbia space shuttle exploded. She handled it with sensitivity, but it was heart-breaking to read about. Even the dogs suffered from burnout on that search.
I think part of the reason the author chose to write this memoir is to confront the misconceptions the public, especially those who work in public services such as law enforcement and emergency medicine, have about what exactly the dogs can do. She quotes one officer who tells her that he hates to see the dogs called in because that means they've given up hope on finding a live person and believe they're now searching for a body. She gears up to tell him that these dogs can practically work miracles and they should always be called to a search early on when he cuts her off and says, "We only use dogs for human remains....Live people just don't smell bad enough." Susannah amply proves her point in this book that the dogs absolutely should be called in before all hope is given up.
Training Puzzle is no easy task. A dog as bright, independent, and inquisitive as she is has her own ideas about proper behavior. Convincing her otherwise provides some entertaining moments. Especially when they share the house with a multitude of jealous Pomeranians. They all have to play the searching game! And when Puzzle decides to find someone's hidden stash of treats--well, let's just say the results aren't pretty but they're funny.
I think animal lovers of all kinds will love this book. It kept my attention, and I even kept reading bits to my husband, something I don't recall ever doing with a non-fiction book before. I also think it's important for the law enforcement and emergency medical communities to give it a try just so they do know the dogs' abilities. I loved learning about these dogs and their volunteer handlers, and I loved "meeting" Puzzle and Susannah, may they share a long and healthy partnership!
Thanks to the publicist for sending me a copy of this wonderful book for review.
I'm not a huge non-fiction reader. Let's take a peek at my shelves, shall we? Let's see.... I've labeled 1252 read books as fiction and 129 as non-fiction. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the true stories.
Yet I was drawn to the story of Susannah and Puzzle. I don't watch the news a lot, but even I have noticed that whenever a disaster happens, there's always footage of a SAR (search-and-rescue) worker and his or her dog in the background. I did not realize that these workers are volunteers who spend hours training each week, not to mention the time that they spend actively searching. What a huge commitment to make to help out other people.
When I was asked if I wanted to read and review this book, I asked the publicist, "Is this one of those books where you get all attached to the animal and then you sob the last fifty pages as they get sick and die? 'Cuz I don't do the whole crying thing." To my relief, the answer is that Puzzle is still alive and well.
And what a dog Puzzle is! She is highly intelligent and creative, and through Susannah's eyes we can watch Puzzle reasoning her way through the problems she's confronted with. I was amazed at some of the stories I read, not just about Puzzle but about all the dogs in their SAR team. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say much, but just think about training in burnt buildings and the myriad of scents these dogs must be confronted with. I had no idea that SAR dogs can work on the water also. Who knew? Oh, and the picture of the volunteer and his dog rappelling down the side of a building together blew me away. A dog calmly rappelling? Wow.
There's one section where Susannah writes feelingly about her time as an assistant on the search after the Columbia space shuttle exploded. She handled it with sensitivity, but it was heart-breaking to read about. Even the dogs suffered from burnout on that search.
I think part of the reason the author chose to write this memoir is to confront the misconceptions the public, especially those who work in public services such as law enforcement and emergency medicine, have about what exactly the dogs can do. She quotes one officer who tells her that he hates to see the dogs called in because that means they've given up hope on finding a live person and believe they're now searching for a body. She gears up to tell him that these dogs can practically work miracles and they should always be called to a search early on when he cuts her off and says, "We only use dogs for human remains....Live people just don't smell bad enough." Susannah amply proves her point in this book that the dogs absolutely should be called in before all hope is given up.
Training Puzzle is no easy task. A dog as bright, independent, and inquisitive as she is has her own ideas about proper behavior. Convincing her otherwise provides some entertaining moments. Especially when they share the house with a multitude of jealous Pomeranians. They all have to play the searching game! And when Puzzle decides to find someone's hidden stash of treats--well, let's just say the results aren't pretty but they're funny.
I think animal lovers of all kinds will love this book. It kept my attention, and I even kept reading bits to my husband, something I don't recall ever doing with a non-fiction book before. I also think it's important for the law enforcement and emergency medical communities to give it a try just so they do know the dogs' abilities. I loved learning about these dogs and their volunteer handlers, and I loved "meeting" Puzzle and Susannah, may they share a long and healthy partnership!
Thanks to the publicist for sending me a copy of this wonderful book for review.
amelia_horseman's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Dementia, Grief, Cancer, and Death
beastreader's review
3.0
I am not that familiar with the search and rescue aspect involving dogs, so it was nice to get to learn about this field. Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search and Rescue Dog really made me appreciate the devotion and dedication that the men, women and dogs spend day after day searching for people. The word “quit” is not in their vocabulary.
I could relate to Susannah and Puzzle’s strong bond. I raised a guide dog for the blind and we got close. His name was Patriot and we relayed on each other. What I found interesting is that for both search and rescue and guides dogs for the blind that the dogs used were the same types of breeds. The main dogs for guide dogs for the blind are Labradors, Golden Retrievers and Germen Shepard, which were all the same types of dogs featured in this book.
While I enjoyed reading this book and learning what type of training Puzzle had to go through, I would have liked to get to have seen Puzzle in action more. Plus, I would have liked to have gotten to know some of the other dogs better. Overall though, Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search and Rescue Dog receives an “Atta Boy” and three paws from me.
I could relate to Susannah and Puzzle’s strong bond. I raised a guide dog for the blind and we got close. His name was Patriot and we relayed on each other. What I found interesting is that for both search and rescue and guides dogs for the blind that the dogs used were the same types of breeds. The main dogs for guide dogs for the blind are Labradors, Golden Retrievers and Germen Shepard, which were all the same types of dogs featured in this book.
While I enjoyed reading this book and learning what type of training Puzzle had to go through, I would have liked to get to have seen Puzzle in action more. Plus, I would have liked to have gotten to know some of the other dogs better. Overall though, Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search and Rescue Dog receives an “Atta Boy” and three paws from me.
justlily's review
5.0
I loved everything about this. I am a long standing non-fiction hater. The vast majority of it bores me to tears within the first chapter. Finding one I finish, let alone one that I genuinely enjoyed is beyond rare. I also find a lot of pet-based non fiction to be...unnecessary. Like, yes, you CAN write about your dog.
But should you?
In this case, definitely. Not only was it a story worth telling but it was written by someone who knows how to engage a reader. The set up of the book, going back and forth between her own dog's training and other search and rescue missions she'd been on, kept the story interesting the whole way through. You couldn't help falling in love with the whole team, not just Susannah and Puzzle.
Just a great read I'd recommend to any dog lover.
But should you?
In this case, definitely. Not only was it a story worth telling but it was written by someone who knows how to engage a reader. The set up of the book, going back and forth between her own dog's training and other search and rescue missions she'd been on, kept the story interesting the whole way through. You couldn't help falling in love with the whole team, not just Susannah and Puzzle.
Just a great read I'd recommend to any dog lover.
lisaortiz1221's review
4.0
i’m a dog person, so i was naturally drawn to the cute puppy dog face on the cover. but, honestly, i think that even non-dog lovers could enjoy this one because, at the heart of it, the book is about both animal and human courage and heroics. i have never seen a search and rescue (SAR) team at work, but i learned so much, not just about the rescues themselves, but about the long hours of training, the grueling certification process, and the commitment and spirit that is required of both the humans and the dogs to survive – and be successful – in the field.
Scent of the Missing is a testimonial and autobiography, about Susannah Charleson and her volunteer work with SAR, first as a field assistant (without a dog) to assist a human/dog team in navigation and tracking, and her later work with Puzzle, her golden retriever. she chronicles her choice to try working with a dog, the puppy selection process, the rigorous training that was both immensely frustrating and rewarding, and the absolutely amazing work that these teams can do.
the SAR groups are dispatched for just about every kind of search scenario you can imagine – Alzheimer’s patients that have wandered off, missing children, suspected murders, and even possible drownings. and it isn’t just a well-trained dog, or a brilliant human that makes the rescues possible. it is truly a team effort that requires a dog with an unfathomable amount of training (my dog can only sit and sometimes roll over!), a human with just the right amount of decisiveness, and an immense amount of trust between the two.
at times the related anecdotes are serious and somber, like the search efforts following the space shuttle Columbia explosion over Texas, where pieces of the shuttle and human remains had to be excavated over the enormous blast zone of debris falling for days. but, more often, the story was heartwarming, and even funny. i honestly have never heard of a person more prone to facial collisions than Ms. Charleson. seriously – concrete, trees, shrubs, ground – her face meets then all at some point in time. whether clumsiness, or a great sense of humor towards herself, or both, Charleson will have you laughing and crying throughout the book.
the writing is solid and Charleson paints a great picture of life, both at home and in the field, with a SAR dog. as a relatively short read (in pages), i was surprised that the book did actually take me quite a while to read. i wasn’t in a hurry, savoring the stories, reading and re-reading, taking it all in. this is ridiculous, but i even found myself playing hide and seek with my dog and wishing that i had the time to devote to volunteering to a similar organization.
Scent of the Missing definitely made me appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that goes into this entirely volunteer (read: UNPAID) organization and if you have even a tiny bit of interest, this is a thoughtful, and informative read that i would highly recommend!
Scent of the Missing is a testimonial and autobiography, about Susannah Charleson and her volunteer work with SAR, first as a field assistant (without a dog) to assist a human/dog team in navigation and tracking, and her later work with Puzzle, her golden retriever. she chronicles her choice to try working with a dog, the puppy selection process, the rigorous training that was both immensely frustrating and rewarding, and the absolutely amazing work that these teams can do.
the SAR groups are dispatched for just about every kind of search scenario you can imagine – Alzheimer’s patients that have wandered off, missing children, suspected murders, and even possible drownings. and it isn’t just a well-trained dog, or a brilliant human that makes the rescues possible. it is truly a team effort that requires a dog with an unfathomable amount of training (my dog can only sit and sometimes roll over!), a human with just the right amount of decisiveness, and an immense amount of trust between the two.
at times the related anecdotes are serious and somber, like the search efforts following the space shuttle Columbia explosion over Texas, where pieces of the shuttle and human remains had to be excavated over the enormous blast zone of debris falling for days. but, more often, the story was heartwarming, and even funny. i honestly have never heard of a person more prone to facial collisions than Ms. Charleson. seriously – concrete, trees, shrubs, ground – her face meets then all at some point in time. whether clumsiness, or a great sense of humor towards herself, or both, Charleson will have you laughing and crying throughout the book.
the writing is solid and Charleson paints a great picture of life, both at home and in the field, with a SAR dog. as a relatively short read (in pages), i was surprised that the book did actually take me quite a while to read. i wasn’t in a hurry, savoring the stories, reading and re-reading, taking it all in. this is ridiculous, but i even found myself playing hide and seek with my dog and wishing that i had the time to devote to volunteering to a similar organization.
Scent of the Missing definitely made me appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that goes into this entirely volunteer (read: UNPAID) organization and if you have even a tiny bit of interest, this is a thoughtful, and informative read that i would highly recommend!