treekatie
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Aiken, SC
Posts: 247 |
Okie as far as man tracking for law enforcement purposes goes, there are a couple of issues:
1- The dog is a tool, one tool, to make a good tracking case for court. I worked with some good ones years ago, but none of them could testify in court! So we had to hand track as well, matching prints, sizes, etc. as well as other evidence in order to make it a solid court case (that we were tracking the same guy all along, especially in populated areas with heavy foot traffic).
2- Evidence vital to the case could be left anywhere along that track, and often it was. If my dog came across a warmer track and I let him go with it, I could be missing crucial evidence that could be a deal maker or breaker.
3- In many bloodhound callouts, the suspect was caught by guys on the perimeter of the area we were working. Around here, we had a good reputation and when they heard those cowbells ringing a lot of bad guys would get to hoofing it out of there and get caught crossing out. We still ran the track regardless, to put him leaving point A and getting caught at point B, so he couldn't come up with some story about walking through the woods picking scuppernongs at 2 a.m. if you know what I mean!
Bottom line is that when I was in the business we all wanted our dogs to start and finish the same track, beginning to end, with no costly shortcuts.
I like a coonhound with the same dedication, but also respect intelligence in a hound...something I haven't been blessed with a lot of!
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"No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.”
General George S. Patton, Jr.
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