This dog's life could go well beyond traditional family pet.

The Hawk Eye
by Kirsten Heerdt

Mt. Pleasant - Chris Whaley taught her baby to stop, drop and roll at six months.
     Now at eight months, he can play hide-and-seek with the best of them.
     The newest addition to the Whaley family isn't a bouncing baby boy, but a bounding yellow Labrador retriever.
     Tucker found his way to the Whaely home shortly after they lost their black lab.
     His is no ordinary dog.  As Chris and her husband, Steve, began to trace his bloodlines, they discovered he came from a long line of field champions and was a natural at obedience and picking up scents.
     "He's already got unbelievable capabilities at eight months," says Chris.
      Steve, a 13 year veteran of the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department, had originally thought he would train the dog for search and rescue.  As time went by, it was obvious to the Whaleys that Tucker was bonding with Chris and that she would be Tucker's handler.
     Chris says she's not thrilled with the idea of 5 a.m. call-outs, but she and her husband feel there is a need for a search-and-rescue dog in southeast Iowa.
     The closest SAR dogs are in Marion.  Chris says by reducing travel time, the chance of successful rescue is higher.
     "We have a lot of heavily wooded areas and rivers," she said of southeast Iowa and northern Missouri.  "Tucker will be our insurance.  He will be there if we need him."
     Chris says realistically Tucker may be called out only once or twice a year, but his ability to help search teams is well worth the investment.
     Not only will be able to track on land, but by the end of his training, he will be skilled at water rescue as will.
     Air-scenting dogs have been used to help narrow the search area when there is a drowning victim, which is especially helpful around large bodies of water like the 186-acre Lake Geode.
     Body gasses released by a drowning victim are sent to the surface in oxygen bubbles.  But putting a dog and its handler in a boat and passing over the area, the dog can lead search teams to within several feet of the body.  At that police divers can take over or searchers can use sonar to detect the body.
     "Tucker will be our family pet," says Chris.  "But his training will make him irreplaceable."
     Tucker recently completed cadaver training, an exercise that puts a dog's nose to the test as he and his handler negotiate unfamiliar terrain searching fro the equivalent of a dead body.  According to Chris, Tucker passed with flying colors.
     Training takes place near Grinnell.  Chris can schedule private sessions or most commonly, join other teams for a weekend for quality time with her dog.
     Tucker isn't the only one getting an education.  As a handler, Chris must learn things like canine first aid, how to read a map and compass and, most importantly, to trust her dog.
     Chris says another important aspect of Tucker's training is visiting schools and teaching children not to be afraid of dogs.
     "I want them to think of him as a firefighter.  Someone who can help," she says.
     When Steve visits area schools in celebration of Fire Prevention Week, Tucker's interaction with the children will reflect his temperament training.
     Unlike the training undertaken by police dogs, Tucker must feel comfortable around strange people.  In the event something were to happen to Chris, another rescue team member must be able to take over.
     Chris, who works at Hometown Veterinary Care in New London, says at home Tucker is a couch potato - hard to imagine as the tail-wagging, 60-pound puppy takes off like a shot in search of a victim.
     In this case, the "victim" is 13-year-old Laura.  Chris and Steve's daughter often plays the role of the lost or injured person.  Hiding in some brush over the hill, she has only to wait a few seconds and Tucker bounds over the same hill and into her arms.  After checking to see if she's all right, he's off again.
     Chris admits she needs to work on his speed, but shays he loves what he does.
     "He likes to be a regular dog," she says, "but he loves to do this.  He makes me want to do this."
     Tucker must earn his Canine Good Citizen Award through the American Kennel Club before he can be certified an official search-and-rescue dog.
     The earliest he can be a member of Iowa's SAR team is at the age of 18 months, a goal Chris says won't be hard to make.
     Anyone wishing to help defray the cost of training Iowa Search and Rescue canines and their handlers is encouraged to call Chris Whaley at (319)385-8646