Search & Rescue Dogs

The temperature was just below freezing on a mid-December night when an 84-year-old Middletown woman suffering from dementia wandered away from her home.

Several agencies, including the Thurmont Community Ambulance's K-9 Search and Rescue Team, got the call to help search for her.

Debbie Schmidt of Taylorsville responded with her 5-year-old German shepherd, Loco, and searched their assigned area, which was rocky near a ridge line.

Two Maryland State Police troopers found the woman alive in the morning, farther down from Schmidt's assigned area.

"I was so happy to hear it," she said. "We were surprised she made it."

The Thurmont team is made up of six volunteers and nine dogs that may be called 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist with finding missing persons.

The team is usually called three to five times a year, said spokesman and member Adrien Snively. They do training exercises every two weeks.

"We have a really nice group of people who get together for a common cause," said Kurt Hornicek, team leader.

They have assisted in several searches, including one for a Thurmont woman who was found alive after disappearing for a week in January 2008, and in 2006 when two teenagers drowned in a flooded creek in Keymar.

Snively, who lives in Waynesboro, Pa., said he joined the team a year ago because his 3-year-old border collie, Maggie, has separation anxiety.

"She needed the job," he said.

Maggie gets excited the moment she gets out of the car and off the leash, Snively said.

"She knows what she is doing," he said. "It's fun to watch."

Snively has a second dog named Cullen, who is a Canaan dog breed. The 15-month-old is being trained in cadaver search.

Woodsboro resident Dan Laxton and his two border collies, Zip, 6, and Ivy, 5, have been on the team for 21Ú2 years.

He always wanted to do searches with dogs. His wife heard there was a search team in the county. While driving around one day, Laxton decided to stop and ask about it at the ambulance company.

Besides the team, the three keep busy herding geese at five properties including Woodsboro Park.

Schmidt, whose day job is as a dog groomer, has been on the team since its inception in 2001.

"Dogs have been my life," she said. The team is "a way to have fun with dogs and help people at the same time. We have a good group of dogs and a good group of people."

In order for a dog to become certified in missing person searches, a dog must attend classes and be able to find someone during a day and night search. The daylight search involves 160 acres; it's 40 acres during a night search.

"You have to read body language," Schmidt said. "The dogs always seem to do the job. That's why trusting the dog is so important. It's a bonding experience."

Because it is the 10th anniversary year, the team has planned to be at several events to educate residents about what they do, perform demonstrations and ask for contributions.

They will be at the ambulance company's open house Saturday and Walk-N-Wag on May 22 at Baker Park.

They also attended the Bark in the Park on Saturday and did a search demonstration.

The team is looking for new members and dogs, but having a canine is not required to be a member, Snively said. The dog handlers need people to walk with them and read compasses and maps.

"We welcome people with good, trainable dogs of any breed," Snively said. "You can never have enough members."