11/19/2022 0 Comments A dogs purpose drowningIn the Republic, Lorna witnessed an actual search, for the victim of a fishing accident in Lough Ree. "Like snakes, dogs have a sensory trigger called the Jacobson's Organ, which can collect chemicals from the air, and also from the water, and the dogs may use this to confirm the indication of a body."Ĭadaver dogs detecting submerged bodies took Lorna for her research to Ireland, where the practice is well advanced. "According to the handlers, many of their dogs taste the water," says Lorna, "and we think that this is a confirmation mechanism used by the dogs to confirm the presence of a body. There is also evidence that tasting the water is important for the dogs as well. "If the sides of the boat are too high, the dog will simply not be able to smell the water," says Lorna. Therefore, access to the water both from the bank and particularly from a boat is crucial to the success of a search. Lorna's research has found that the dogs can only be really effective if they can get down to the level water to clarify the scent or they may not be able to give a clear indication. "I have seen dogs locate bodies within a metre and they have been quite accurate in depths of about 15 metres of water." "It is absolutely fascinating watching the dogs work," she said. "When a body is on land it is hoped it will stay in one place, but in water a body can move in three dimensions, so it is a lot more difficult to locate and recover," said Lorna. Some countries, such as the USA, are ahead of the UK in using dogs to detect the submerged bodies. Globally, there are some 100,000 deaths annual from drowning – including accidents and suicides. During her research for a PhD, Lorna has covered several aspects of the work of detection dogs and she has also developed a special fascination for the use of dogs to detect submerged bodies.
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