Human remains detection dogs and historic searches with Kim Cooper and Cat Warren
Plus a free Q and A with me next week.
Learn about the work of human remains detection dogs, how they are trained, the skills the handler needs, and how they can help with historic searches.
Watch episode 35 of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation on Youtube, listen wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify), or do both of those and read a transcript of the highlights on my website.
Dogs have incredible noses, and can trained to search for the scent of human remains, bringing closure to those who are grieving and the opportunity to memorialize. As well as recent remains, they can also search for historic remains. We're joined by two experts in the field, Kim Cooper of Ottawa Valley Search and Rescue, and Cat Warren, author of the New York Times bestseller What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World, to learn more about these dogs and the work that they do.
We talk about:
How Kim and Cat got started in working with human remains detection dogs and how the dogs are trained
Historic human remains detection dogs
How these dogs can help with searches at the sites of former residential schools in Canada
The emotional side of a search from the handler's perspective and the skills a handler needs to work with communities
Working with communities and the role of oral history in historical searches
What type of dog is best suited to this work (breed, personality, size, etc.)
And finally, we talk about the books we're reading
The books we recommend in this episode are:
The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods
Native Nations: A Millenium in North America by Kathleen DuVal
Words Are My Matter: Writings on Life and Books by Ursula Le Guin
Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The books are available wherever books are sold, including my Amazon store from which I may earn commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Also mentioned in this episode:
The work in Croatia is described in this article by Cat Warren
Cat Warren at Bark! Fest (with Marc Bekoff and Zazie Todd)
Happy listening (or watching)!
A Q and A with me next week
Ahead of September's Dogs and the City conference, Educanine is inviting you to a Q and A with me.
Educanine says:
Join us LIVE on July 3rd at 1PM EDT for a special conversation with Zazie Todd, PhD!Don’t miss this chance to chat in real time with the award-winning author of Bark! as we dive into fear and anxiety in dogs, get a behind-the-scenes look at her latest book, and talk all things Dogs & the City Conference.
Bring your questions, your curiosity, and your love for dogs — this is your opportunity to connect with one of the leading voices in animal behaviour!
Sign up for this FREE live Q and A session here: https://educanine.thinkific.com/products/live_events/new-event-1
I hope to see you there!