In December of 2001 we were cleaning out our garage of all our Accelerant training aids since Gypsy had just passed away a month earlier. The only dog we have now is a Border Collie and he was already trained in Cadaver Recovery/Tracking & Article Search. As I was sorting evidence cans with samples in them,and pieces of burnt wood with and without being burnt with an accelerant I got to wonder. Can "Cody" find accelerants? He learns everything else very fast so we tried an experiment. I took an Evidence can out in the back yard with burnt debris and it was burnt with gasoline. I then took out 2 cans and placed them in the yard. These two cans were burnt with no accelerants. I brought out "Cody" and I then took a small jar that had 1 drop of 50% evaporated gas in it. I figured since "Cody" was scent discriminated I would per-scent him and see where he goes. I pre-scented him and he searched the back yard. Checking 1 can that was a negative( no accelerants) and leaving it alone continued in his search. He came to the can with the Positive(burnt debris with accelerants) looked at me came running back to me barking, and as soon as I asked him where it was he went back to the Positive can. His alert on a cadaver is to lay infront of it as we walk back to it, and this is what he did. And of course we gave him a lot of praise which Border Collies thrive on.
We didn't do anything else untill the 2nd week in January of 2002 and we started then with accelerant detection training and did it as if this was the 1st time he was introduced to accelerants. He seems to have the desire and the ability to work this.He never seems like there isn't anything he doesn't want to do. His Tracking/Cadaver work is what he likes best. I think because he can get out there and be free and work the way he wants to work.
There is alot of work involved in training an Accelerant Detection Dog. To see how we start and Accelerant Dog you can CLICK HERE
Cody's training in the detection of accelerants has progressed very good and he is now able to locate over 12 different types of accelerants. I hope to be confident enough to start working him in the field after March 1st. Hopefully more on this along with some photos soon.
On March 13th,2002 Cody was called to his first fire in the City of Lockport,NY . We were called by the Lockport Police Department to check a suspicious house fire in a vacant apartment house. Cody entered the scene from the front of the house and we checked from the least damage to the most damage. Cody worked thru the downstairs apartment and when he got to the believed point of origin he alerted. And we were convinced there was a pattern of an accelerant being poured here. I was very proud of Cody as he did an outstanding job. I hope to have a new picture or two to place here on the page soon.
"Cody" has worked about 5 or 6 fires and has done a great job. He isn't like a Lab or a golden where you can let him loose in a building and he will work slow. He is like he was shot out of a cannon and will work a point of origin but he is not a dog to work free.
We have stopped working Cody in Accelerant training because he is a very high energy dog to be working around all the debris of what is at a fire scene. We have given this alot of thought and do not want to see him get hurt.
After a few months we were asked to continue with the training again and to work with Al Mack who is our Chief of Forensices at the Niagara County (NY) Sheriff's Dept. So we have resumed our training in the detection of accelerants. We may start working Cody at fire scenes again and if they think there is a presence of an accelerant we will have him just check samples as they are brought out. He did this at a Golf Course Clubhouse fire and worked just great. All the samples that were brought out "Cody" left them alone. We had a firefighter that brought out the last shovel put one drop of Gasoline on the pile and "Cody" gave a good readable alert to that pile. This maybe the only way we can continue working him in the field of accelerant detection. Time will tell!!!! We will keep this page updated on his progress.
