Professional Standards
Though made up entirely of volunteers, the K-9 Unit of Stewart Count holds to high professional standards and a serious level of dedication and commitment.
Training and response occurs in all seasons under any conditions. Handlers pursue training and certification in emergency response techniques. Each dog is trained to develop obedience, agility and search technique skills. It takes a minimum of two years of training before a dog and handler are considered fully qualified for a search and rescue operation.
Training doesn’t stop with certification; it’s a constant regiment of learning and practice, even for experienced handlers and dogs.
Just how extensive training can be was evident during annual water-rescue training held recently at Land Between the Lakes. Participants from several Tennessee and Kentucky counties included search dogs and handlers, rescue squads, boat operators, dive teams, EMS teams and emergency managers.
Search dogs practice land and water searches by sniffing out human scent spread around the training area in vials. According to Tinsley, tissue from amputated limbs or cadavers was once used for training.
“Now we use human placenta because tissue from amputated limbs or cadavers had the potential risk of disease.”
Water-rescue training also includes diving exercises, underwater diver recognition and cadaver searches on shore, around docks and in both shallow and deep water. For deep-water search exercised, dogs are taken out in boats to scent located 20 to 30 feet below the surface. A submerged body constantly emits oils and gases that float to the surface. A dog will locate where the scents are surfacing and divers can then locate the body.
Participants also watch training videos for a refresher on the methods, techniques and theory behind the use of boats and wave runners.

Training Search and Rescue Dogs
All humans, dead or alive, constantly emit microscopic particles of human scent. These particles become airborne and are carried great distances. Search and rescue dogs are trained to find the scent of any human in a specific search area. Trained dogs can continue a search long after the human’s track has been wiped out.
Dog and handler report to the search operations leader, who reports to the search boss, also known as the incident commander. Many K-9 units provide their own base camp with trained radio operators and other support personnel. Normally, each team is assigned a specific segment of the search area to cover. Dogs are worked downwind of their assigned section to provide them with the best scenting coverage. Handlers map the area they’ve covered and report their probability of detection to the operations leader.
Search dogs can find the specific scent of a missing person even in heavily populated areas. The dogs are especially effective in conditions where the vision of their handlers is hampered: in the dark, in densely wooded areas, under water or beneath heavy debris.

Professional Requirements for Search Dogs and Handlers
Dog handlers must like being in the outdoors in all kinds of weather and enjoy working with dogs. They must be fit and able to respond to emergencies at any time. Handlers must also be proficient in navigation, map and compass reading, ratio communications, survival techniques and first aid.
Dogs must show trainability, agility, endurance and the ability to get along will with other dogs and people. A search dog is part of his handler’s family and enjoys the company of humans. Rescue dogs normally come from the larger breeds of the working and sporting groups and include German shepherds, Dobermans, rottweillers, golden retrievers, giant schnauzers, Labradors as well as larger sized mixed breeds. Most handlers begin search and rescue work with a young puppy, but older dogs are suitable if they have a good working relationship with their owner. K-9 units evaluate a team before sending them on actual searches. Dog teams on actual searches normally work for 4 to 6 hours, with a few hours of rest in between, but will work longer if needed depending upon the weather and site conditions.

Tinsley and Bella Today
Bella worked her heart out for years, and after returning from her toughest job in New York, underwent knee surgery. Bella is now enjoying a leisurely and well-deserved retirement.
Bella’s long years of distinguished service resulted in her being named the Outstanding Professional Dog of the Year by the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Animal Hall of Fame. Bella’s service has been recognized by kennel Club and the Department of the Army, to name just a few. She’s been credited with more than a dozen finds of drowning victims in Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as with aiding law enforcement in locating evidence in several murder cases. During her time in New York searching through WTC debris, concrete, mud and dangerous sharp objects, Bella gad an accuracy rate of five out of every six finds.
Though Tinsley has trained for over 10 years in search and rescue, she says she feels she still needs to learn more.
“I’ve been on more than 75 searches in 20 counties of Tennessee and Kentucky. It was my work and training done here at home that enabled me to be ready to respond to the terrorist act in New York,” says Tinsley. “Most of the time my partner Bella was with me, the best dog I’ve ever had. She’s now 10 years old, and I was so grateful that we received the call to New York while she was still able to work. She’s now retired and staying in the air conditioning. When I get ready to train or search, she knows it and gets excited. At first she was very frustrated and upset when she got left behind. But after the heat of the summer, she learned to say ‘You go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.’”
Tinsley now works with a young female black lab named Raven and has recently adopted another black lab puppy from the Dover Humane Society that was brought to her clinic for treatment.
“She’s very smart, energetic, and vocal, which makes for a good bark alert. She was born last September, and is named Liberty,” says Tinsley.
Did Tinsley’s experience in New York change her life?
“No, but September 11 was the moment that changed my perspective. Our security was breached and life will never be the same. The threat from terrorists isn’t far away anymore. War is here now. Some think rural Tennessee is out of the way and safe. But we have Fort Campbell next door and a power plant, not to mention Kentucky dam above us.”
On the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Americans should remember and honor not only the victims, but also the thousands of volunteers who heeded the call to duty in the aftermath of that infamous day, including the scores of rescue dogs that converged on the grizzly scene.
Let’s also remember and honor the canine heroes that work for us everyday: dogs that assist the blind and disabled, provide therapy for shutins, work with our police officers and airline personnel finding drugs and explosives, find missing persons, work our farms, protect our homes and provide us with unconditional love and companionship day in and day out.