In Search of the Missing

June 1, 2011
Search-and-rescue dogs perform a highly specialized, valuable function. They are trained to locate missing persons, usually in mountainous or other difficult terrain. McCarthy had been interested in dogs since boyhood in rural Ireland and, after a period of playing in a band in the early 1960s, returned to training dogs. But it wasn't until he observed a true search-and-rescue dog that he formed the Search and Rescue Dog Association of Ireland, and his career as a handler and trainer of these specialist dogs began. Training different breeds (German shepherds, collies, bloodhounds), not to mention himself, required time and great physical fitness, and he freely admits that he became obsessed with the work. Tales of mountain searches, using bloodhounds to search for bodies in rivers, and of coordinating searches for lost people give the reader a feel for the difficulty of the work for dog and handler. This story of an unusual job for working dogs and their human trainers well may inspire a new generation of search-and-rescue-dog handlers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)