Session 8: When Nobody Comes to Training

Saturday evening, the time people like to relax, go to movies, go to dinner. What was I doing? Driving up the I-270 on a chilly evening, with 4 layers of clothes on, hat, gloves, two torches (OK, flashlights), spare batteries, water, snacks and Cino.  This time I decided I had everything I needed for lying in the cold and the dark for a few hours.

We were meeting in the parking lot of a defunct Lockheed Martin office building. When I got there, there was not another car in sight. Just a huge parking lot in front of the building. Strobe lights were flashing on the ground floor, and an alarm bell was ringing, but other than that (and the cars streaming north on the 270), it was strangely quiet. I was quite sure I was in the right place, so decided to do a little healing practice with Cino using his electronic collar. I walked towards the woods where there was a "Private, No Trespassing" sign. That did not seem too promising, but maybe we had a permit to go in there. I decided to take a tour of the lonely business park before calling to see if I had somehow got it wrong...

Just then, I saw headlights of a lone car slowly coming towards me. It turned out to be Isabel and her GSD Racer, who I had not trained with before.  Isabel told me that the other members had been called out on a search for a missing man earlier that afternoon, and most were still there. Those who had completed their area searches would not be coming to training, so it was just us two.  Strangely enough, I was disappointed! There was I, all ready to go, with everything I needed, and I did not want to be heading home so soon.

Racer is a tracking dog, rather than an air-scent dog.  Isabel gave me specific directions of where to walk: over the grass, onto the asphalt, hugging the building (lights still flashing), and at some point to hide right against it.  As I was doing that I saw some panes of broken glass, which I skirted, since I did not want Racer to walk over it.  I hid down a stairwell, which was filled with leaves. Nice camo!  It did not take Racer long to find me and I could see him exhibit the classic "neck snap" as he barreled past my location where the scent trail stopped. Down the steps he came, and lay down beside me. He was on a long leash with Isabel panting behind.  I mentioned the glass, and Isabel said it would not have bothered him since they were used to working in New York!  She also said that the Lockheed Martin building had been vacant for years and that the area we were in was also used by the police on training exercises. Apparently they were trying to get authorization to use the inside of the building, too. Maybe they would then find if there was somebody sleeping there who had set off the alarm? I found it a bit strange that so many lights were on in the building: was somebody still paying the electricity bill, and why would it not have been disconnected?

Isabel then did some runaways with Cino in the dark, using lots of treats and encouraging noises. Each time he went straight to her, having to use his nose for the last few meters since she was hiding behind trees, and it was totally dark by then. He did a good job. I think it's time for something a little more difficult, but I'm not sure what the next step is. I guess I'll find out in due course.  She encouraged me to make a "snack sac" out of pencil cases, to buy a cheap light-up collar and a bell from a hunting store: there's always more to buy, whatever activity or sport one does, but I like the idea of making do.