K9 search animals can be any breed or mix. Boxers, like Kane, are often used for search and rescue.
Every man, woman or child – no matter what their age – who goes missing weighs heavy on Jeff Mogan. A former member of a dive team, he realized that he wanted to help reduce the ever-increasing statistics about children who wander off or elderly people with impaired memory who walk away from their care facility.
Statistics showed that more than 60 percent of people with special needs and adults with dementia will wander at least once. Nearly 460,000 kids will go missing in the US each year.
“I was shocked by the numbers, and although not all of them are lost or wandering, many of them are,” said Mogan, who founded the non-profit Georgia K9 Search & Recovery to bring canine rescue dogs into their search team. “I’d been on the dive team for years, but I knew there was more that could be done to actually find the missing and provide closure for their loved ones.”
Mogan was a firefighter 30 years ago while also working in corporate sales, but he always carried his heart for search and recovery. His time as search and rescue on the dive team further showed him that other tools could be used to help find missing people especially in water searches.
“About three years ago we started thinking about adding K9 search dogs to the dive team and just a short time later he founded the non-profit Georgia K9 Search & Recovery Group, www.gak9sar.com. “When we started on this path we figured we could maybe just add some tools for law enforcement to use when needed.”
One of the things Mogan realized very quickly was that having K9s search on water was a huge endeavor and takes a great deal of training. He also realized that there was a big need for land search K9s.
“Live find or tracking dogs like the ones used by law enforcement every day are awesome, but sometimes there just aren’t enough of them or they may not be working that day,” he said. “We found that there was a big need for HRD K9s (Human Remains Detection dogs) – or cadaver dogs as we know them. These particular dogs search exclusively for human remains and have become one of the specialties of our organization.”
Venom, a Belgian Malinois breed, is closely related to Belgian herding dogs.
With a group of around 11 search dogs and a dedicated group of volunteer handlers, Mogan said that everyone on the team is dedicated to the mission.
Teams at GAK9SAR can be called on a search by law enforcement, or emergency management agencies, such as Georgia Emergency Management Agency or [GEMA] because these organizations are typically the first point of contact when someone goes missing.
“We’re usually contacted by Emergency Management and never self deploy,” he said.
When asked if families can contact GAK9SAR on their own, Mogan explained that GAK9SAR won’t search on behalf of families because law enforcement has jurisdiction of the area.
“However families can mention or suggest GAK9SAR, which will often help,” he said. “They just may not know we are here.”
Georgia has many similar organizations handling searches; Mogan said that often his company will be partnered with other groups when they arrive.
“It’s not unusual for many different agencies to be involved in searches with K9s working together with the same mission,” he said. “For instance, on a recent search on Blood Mountain, there were approximately eight different K9 search organizations working together.”
He describes the work GAK9SAR does as both search and recovery and crisis management.
“A family of a missing person is already in distress and upset, and they want to know that everything that can be done is being done,” he said. “That’s why we keep on searching and keep the families informed.”
For more information about Georgia K9 Search & Recovery and/or to help their cause or even become a volunteer with their group, visit gak9sar.com.
Photos: courtesy Georgia K9 Search & Recovery
Gather essential information with LifeTrakPak
Jeff Mogan of Georgia K9 Search and Recovery thinks beyond the situations in front of him and his team to be the best prepared they can be. One of the first things searchers ask for is an uncontaminated scent sample of the missing person.
“Usually a family member will bring back a hairbrush, jacket or other piece of clothing that the person owns,” he said. “However, think about it – any of those items will most likely be contaminated. The items may have been laundered and mixed with items from family, friends and pets.
“While it looks plausible on a television show, the reality is that most of these types of samples are contaminated,” he said. “Knowing this, GAK9SAR has developed a search tool to further assist in searches. Called The LifeTrakPak, it allows collection of uncontaminated scent and DNA samples before they may be needed. Photos, points of interest and other information can be collected at home and then stored in a safe place, if the need arises, you have everything a search group will need in one place.”
Called the LifeTrakPak, they’re available online. Developed to biologically house the information and details about the loved one, the completed kit is good for up to 10 years.
“In an ideal world, we hope that no family has to experience a loved one going missing,” he said. “However, it is so much better to be prepared for this type of crisis knowing you have used all the tools available to you.
“Giving the search dog the best tools for success is our job as handlers,” Mogan said. “People don’t ever expect this to ever happen, but if it does, shouldn’t we be prepared? It can save time and aid in the search for a missing loved one.
For more information, visit lifetrakpak.com.
