|  |  | | Allysia has worked in animal rescue for 15 years. She even made her local news when she saved a pot-bellied pig named Porkadot and taught him to do tricks for dried apricots. But her role as a volunteer Field Assistant and Handler Trainee for Mid Atlantic DOGS, a Maryland-based Canine Search and Rescue Team, is different. Instead of rescuing animals, she’s helping find humans. |
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 Although she’s been on 30 volunteer search missions and committed more than two years of time to Mid Atlantic DOGS, Allysia is still in training (as is her young Rottweiler, Gander). But to her, the time and effort is worth it. She once worked a cadaver case involving a young murder victim. If searchers couldn’t find the body, prosecutors wouldn’t be able to mount a successful case against their suspect. “It was a mushy, hateful search during a humid, muggy Virginia summer. We searched for hours,” she says. But the body was found, and the case is now headed to trial. It’s this story Allysia recalls when asked what’s most rewarding about being part of Mid Atlantic DOGS. |
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| | While some searches yield little, others have happy endings. We met Allysia when she wrote to us about her team’s search for a missing autistic boy (she praised Duluth’s Women’s Fire Hose Work Pants for surviving the task!). The team had been “climbing, wriggling, trekking and trailblazing” in 200 acres of thick mountain laurel for hours when they received the call that he’d been found, confused but alive. During another successful search, an elderly Alzheimer’s patient was found alive – when many members of the public thought she couldn’t possibly have survived. According to Allysia, stories like this prove “you can’t underestimate human resilience.” |
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 Best not to underestimate a dog’s resilience, either. “Search dogs are energetic and full of drive,” says Allysia. “It takes a lot of gumption to be a search dog. They’re all pretty confident and solid.” Gander, rescued by Allysia from Animal Control when he was six months old, has what it takes. “I have a good relationship with him,” she says. “We work well together.” Unfortunately, Gander recently underwent knee surgery, which will keep him from training for at least 6 months. Allysia’s been told some dogs recover from this type of surgery to become healthy searchers again, but others never regain the strength necessary for the job’s demands. “I’ve been pretty heartbroken [over the setback]. He’s got a lot of heart, and he’s really young. I think he’ll be ok. I’m just trying to keep positive.” |
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| Nope, you sure can’t underestimate human resilience.
Note: Allysia, who’s also the mother of a 5 year old and the owner of a boarding kennel, has this advice for those interested in canine search-and-rescue work: “Every team is different and there are a number of disciplines within search and rescue. Be prepared to put in the time and money for training [which is extensive and long-term] and gear. But there are so many ways to get involved.” She recommends visiting nasar.org for more information.
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