BY Brenda "Bren" Craig

Note from Author: The CARDA (The California Rescue Dog Association, Inc.) is a group of volunteers with specially trained dogs dedicated to assisting in the search for missing persons. Established in 1976, it is now the largest search dog group in the United States. CARDA serves as a model for other search dog teams because of its standards. CARDA is a non-profit organization and currently has approximately 100 mission-ready dog teams spread throughout the state. This story is dedicated to them and in honor of the hard work and risk the handlers and dogs must face whenever they respond to a rescue. This story is not based on any individual(s) and is totally fictional. Any characters reflected in this story that may resemble someone, are completely coincidental. I have researched this information and have provided some history of the rescue dogs and how they began. As a dog lover and owner and having trained and showed my dogs in show rings, I have great admiration for those who would not only risk their dog's life, but their own in search and rescue. If you would like to know more about CARDA, you can visit their web site at: www.carda.org.

I would also like to thank Sir Harry for all of his assistance in the compiling of the information for my research of the rescue dogs without whom this story would not have been possible. I would also like to thank everyone who encouraged me to write this story -- you gave me the confidence I needed.

To my two friends, Nancy and DJ, who encouraged me to pick up pen and paper once again and write this story. Without their help in editing and beta reading this story, it would still be in my head and not here for you to read. Thanks, ladies -- you're true friends.

Also, in some parts of the story, I had to flub a little, so if certain things are not completely accurate, all I can say is, its only fiction folks! I hope you like it. You can e-mail me at BrendaCraig@Webtv.net and give me your opinion.

The morning of Station 51's A-Shift had been fairly quiet and the men were relaxing in the Day Room -- all except for Captain Stanley who was working in his office. The men had completed their housecleaning duties in record time, even Chet Kelly who had been given latrine duty as punishment for another prank gone wrong. Everyone had known it was meant for John Gage, but poor "Cap," as they called Captain Stanley, had been the recipient of the water bomb.

Roy DeSoto, Firefighter/Paramedic, sat on the brown imitation leather sofa reading the morning paper, while Henry -- the basset hound and mascot of Station 51 -- lay beside him. Mike Stoker, Firefighter Specialist and Marco Lopez, Firefighter, were sitting at the kitchen table peeling and cutting up vegetables for the crews' lunch. Firefighter Chet Kelly was sitting at the kitchen table as well, studying once again for the Engineer's Exam. John Gage, Firefighter/Paramedic and Roy's partner, was sitting in a chair across from the sofa watching a game show on television with the volume turned low. When the station's phone rang everyone paused to see who would answer. After only the second ring, it stopped and everyone assumed that Stanley had answered the phone call. They all went back to what they were doing.

After a short period of time had passed, Stanley came into the Day Room. He headed straight for the stove and the pot of coffee. While pouring a cup of coffee, he turned to address his men. "I just received a call from HQ. They're sending over a PR Rep. with someone for a week's ride-a-long," he said. He paused to make sure all his men were listening. Assured they were, he continued, "From what I gather from my conversation with HQ, they're goin' to have this person observe how we perform our search and rescues." Stanley took a sip from his coffee and moved over to the sofa, sitting on the opposite end from Roy and Henry.

"What are they looking to get from us, Cap?" asked Roy.

"They're lookin' into setting up a new branch of search and rescue. Something to do with dogs," replied Stanley.

"Dogs?!!!" came the surprised response from all.

"Yeah, it seems that dogs are being used in Europe and some parts of the U.S. to search out victims -- cutting the rescuers' time in half. At some of the ski resorts, they use dogs to search for avalanche victims. From what I understand, they can find a victim buried under the snow within 3 to 5 minutes," supplied Stanley.

"Hey! Yeah, I saw something about that on TV a while back," said Marco.

"But Cap, we don't have snow in LA," stated Chet.

"No joke, Sherlock," said Johnny, amazed at such a stupid statement.

"Okay you two, cool it," ordered Stanley in a no nonsense tone. He didn't need Chet and Johnny to get started in one of their famous arguments. Both men immediately quieted down, they knew that tone of voice very well.

"When are they supposed to get here, Cap?" asked Roy, trying to change the subject to help Stanley out.

"Well, HQ said sometime around 1:00," informed Stanley, looking at his watch to see what time it was. "It's 10 now. If we hurry, we can have our lunch and get the kitchen cleaned up before they arrive," he added.

Two hours later, everyone was sitting down to lunch -- the conversation light. Chet was in his usual form, razzing Johnny about his most recent attempt at dating. Of course, Johnny, not seeming to have learned from the past, was taking the bait Chet was casting out to him.

"Ah, Johnny! When will you ever learn, women just don't like you? You're cheap. Rough around the edges. And, just down right boring!" said Chet, antagonizing him. He was on a roll and having fun.

"If I'm all those things you say, Chet, then why is it I never sit home watching TV like you?" said Johnny, smugly. "And, when I'm at home, the last thing I do with a lady is watch TV!"

"He's got you there, pal," said Roy, laughing along with the other men.

For once, Chet couldn't think of a comeback. Johnny looked at Roy with a victorious grin and with that, the razzing was over. The men continued to eat their lunch of grilled steak, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli with melted cheese and garlic toast, which Mike and Marco had prepared.

After they had finished with their meal, they hurriedly worked together to clean up the kitchen in preparation for their guest. It was going on 1:00 when they finally had everything cleaned and in its proper place. As if on cue, the doorbell buzzed announcing their guests' arrival. Stanley went to greet them as the rest of the crew glanced around to make sure everything was indeed in order. They all stood around the table waiting in anticipation. Stanley was the first to enter the Day Room, followed by Steve Robinson, the Public Relations Officer for the Fire Department. As the third person entered, the crew stood staring in shock.

There before them was a very striking woman -- long flowing blonde hair, petite in size and weight. She had eyes as blue as the ocean and a warm inviting smile. John Gage was immediately entranced by her. At her side was a huge German Shepard, who she was leading in on a leather leash hooked to a leather collar. On the dog's back was a red dog saddle with a big white cross on each side and underneath was the wording, "Rescue Dog".

"Woof, Woof, Woof!"

All eyes turned to Henry, who was at this time jumping off the sofa and heading for the German Shepard. All of the crew were momentarily stunned -- this was the first time they had ever seen Henry move off the sofa voluntarily and with such energy.

"Somebody get Henry!" yelled Stanley, afraid of a major dogfight. He knew that Henry would be the one who would "come out the worst for wear" in such a fight.

"No, that's okay," said the woman in a soft southern drawl. "Aspen here has been socialized with other dogs and people. She won't hurt Henry," she bent down with her hand outstretched and called to the now active basset hound. "Henry, come here boy. Oh, what a handsome fella you are."

Henry, distracted by the sweet voice coming from the lady, sidetracked from his original target and went to the nice stranger. She began rubbing him behind his ears, cooing softly to him. Henry would still occasionally look over to the larger dog and growl softy, only to be distracted by the soft gentle hands rubbing his head and ears.

"Now Henry, I would like for you to meet Aspen here. She wants to be your friend. So how about it fella? Will you be nice to her and welcome her into your home?" that said, she gently tugged on the leash and Aspen who had been sitting patiently behind her mistress, stood and moved forward. At first Henry began to growl even louder, but the woman continued the cooing and soft massaging of his head and ears. "It's okay boy, she won't hurt you, and you need not worry about her hurting any of your friends here. That's it! You're a good boy," she praised him as he and Aspen began to sniff at each other's heads and bodies. Henry finally conceded that the big stranger was of no threat to him or his territory, and began wagging his tail and now paid attention only to the lady. "See, we're all friends here now, aren't we boy?" she said as she gave Henry one last pat on the head and stood up.

"Well, I'll be," Johnny whispered, astonished at what he had just seen.

"Now that the crisis has been averted, may we get on with the business at hand, and let me introduce your guest?" Steve Robinson requested of everyone in the room, softening his words with a smile of humor.

"Oh, yes. Of course, Steve," agreed Captain Stanley, a bit embarrassed at what had just transpired. "Please introduce us."

"Guys, this is Keely Summers and her dog, Aspen. Keely this is Captain Hank Stanley," said Steve. As he introduced her to each of the men, they came forward to shake her hand. "This is Engineer Mike Stoker..., Firefighter Marco Lopez..., Firefighter Chet Kelly..., Firefighter/Paramedic Roy DeSoto..., and last, but not least, Firefighter/Paramedic John Gage. John and Roy are partners and work out of the Rescue Squad. You will probably be observing and possibly working with them, more than anyone else," stated Steve as he finished off the introductions.

"It's very nice to meet all of you, gentlemen," said Keely warmly.

"Please, have a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee?" asked Stanley politely of Steve and Keely.

"I could do with a cup, Hank," admitted Steve.

"I'm afraid I don't drink coffee, by chance do you have a coke?" asked Keely.

"Sure we do!" Johnny jumped up and quickly went to the refrigerator, missing the knowing glances of his friends. He opened the refrigerator, reached in and pulled out a can of coke. He pulled the tab off and handed it to Keely.

"Thank you, Mr. Gage." Keely sweetly smiled at him.

"Oh, call me Johnny," said Johnny, the "Gage Charm" oozing from every pore of his body.

Rolling his eyes heaven ward, Stanley sat down at the table trying to ignore his Casanova paramedic. He was acutely aware of Aspen shadowing her mistress, as Keely took a seat. The dog immediately moved to the side of her chair and quietly sat down. He watched as Keely reached over and laid her hand on her dog's head. Now that is a very well trained dog, he thought admiringly.

"I know you're all wondering why Keely and Aspen are here. I think it might be best to let Keely explain it to all of you," stated Steve, leaving the floor open for Keely to begin.

Keely nodded towards Steve and began by saying, "I'm not sure if any of you have heard of rescue dogs before, so I will start off first with a little history lesson. That is, if you don't mind?" She paused then after seeing each man nod their agreement, she continued with, "I know you all have heard of the war dogs used in World War I and II, as well as Korea, and now in Vietnam. These dogs were and still are used mainly as guard dogs, messengers, and alert dogs. At the end of the last century, dogs were used as ambulance dogs -- in other words, rescue dogs. They were used in World War I to find wounded soldiers and many can thank those rescue dogs for their lives. In World War II, dogs located victims under rubble after London suffered heavily from Nazi bombardments.

In 1961, the Dutch Rescue Dog Brigade was founded after experiments with dogs began at the end of the 1950's. But, at the end of the 1960's, the interest in rescue dogs diminished. Mr. Leendert Saarloos bred wolf-dog hybrids and are now known as Saarloos wolfdogs. In 1961 the Civil Defense group in Dordrecht started with Rescue dogs bred by Mr. Saarloos. At Mr. Saarloos' death in 1969, lack of a good successor caused the training of these dogs to stop," Keely paused to take a sip from her coke.

"Since the history of rescue dogs has shown how beneficial they are in saving lives, and has been a proven fact with the avalanche rescue dogs, we decided to set up a non-profit organization here in LA. All members of our organization incur all costs including mileage, equipment, and dog expenses. The organization provides us with radios to alert us to each rescue and for field use. Over the past couple of years, we have been meeting and training our dogs on a regular basis, putting them through extensive obstacle courses, simulation rescues and have actually used them on some rescues.

"Since we will be working with many departments such as yours, our organization feels we should observe how each department works. Maybe, we'll be able to learn something valuable that will assist us in training our dogs further," Keely once again paused to take a sip. "You in turn, will see how we, the handlers, work our dogs and how they search out victims. This way, when an actual disaster occurs, such as an earthquake, we will hopefully have a system in place.

"Your Chief has given me permission to come and observe, and if necessary, utilize Aspen's training in a rescue. My truck is kitted out for rescue work so I can transport Aspen safely while following you on runs. I won't be going on every run, only those that will be connected with Aspen's training," she said. Keely mischievously added with a grin, "Oh, and I'll only be here during the day-half of your shifts so we don't have to worry about sleeping arrangements."

Keely finished off with, "Do any of you have any questions?"

"What type of rescues will you mainly be working on?" asked Mike in all seriousness.

"Most of our rescues will deal with, for example, an overdue hiker or hunter in a wilderness area, a missing child, a DB in a lake or river, an area where the Police may think human remains are buried, victims of a collapsed structure, and to locate human remains after a fire. And, as we continue to train, this list may be extended," Keely informed them.

"How does the dog work around other dogs and handlers?" inquired Chet while noticing how Aspen now totally ignored Henry who was still pacing around the table continually going back to investigate Aspen.

"They begin training and socializing with other dogs as puppies. This way, we can get them used to other dogs and we occasionally let other handlers practice work with them, so they can be accustomed to other people."

"Are German Shepards the only breed you work with?" asked Johnny.

"No, we use a wide variety of breeds. And, as I said before, the dogs are extremely socialized animals -- they are not like patrol K-9s. Our dogs are tested extensively for temperament, so we do prefer breeds with easy going temperaments and intelligence."

"What are the basics of their training?" asked Captain Stanley, very intrigued by it all.

"Minimum dog training requirements include, again, socialization, obedience, and helicopter orientation. A team must pass a series of search tests to become 'mission ready.' The average for a handler to become mission ready is 1 ½ to 2 years. The teams must participate in on-going training throughout the year and must get re-certified annually," said Keely.

"Sounds like a lot of hard work," stated Roy very impressed by it all.

"It is. Not only do the dogs have to go through extensive training, the handlers must also. Due to the fact that we will be working with injured people, we are required to have minimum training in advanced first aid, CPR, map and compass navigation, survival, radio and helicopter communications, crime scene preservation and tracking. Some of us, I would say the majority of us, also have additional training in areas such as canine first aid, technical rescue and amateur radio," added Keely.

"Who are the handlers? I mean, since you are not paid, I imagine you have to be financially sound to just take off and go on a, how did you put it, a 'mission'?" Johnny asked, he was really getting into this, and thought he just might want to try it himself.

"Right now we have full-time or reserve police officers, medics, nurses, retired or working professionals. I'm a registered nurse, and Vietnam Veteran." Keely informed them.

"What can dog teams do?" Johnny continued.

"They can do what we call trailing, area search, cadaver, water, avalanche and disaster. Although handlers initially train a dog in one of the two disciplines, trailing or area search. Aspen works best in trailing and disaster," she informed the men proudly.

"What exactly does each of the terms mean?" asked Johnny further.

"Well, trailing dogs are trained to follow a path left by a lost person. An example would be bloodhounds used to track escaped prisoners. Area search dogs frequently work off leash and are trained to find any human scent in that area. Cadaver dogs are trained in what I consider a very gruesome job, though it is a very important one, to locate human decomposition, such as tissue, blood, bones, etc. Water search dogs locate human decomposition, which emanates from under water. They work along the shore and from boats to locate a scent rising through the water. And of course, you have heard of avalanche dogs who locate victims buried in the snow. And then, there's the disaster dogs who are trained in locating victims of natural disasters, where the victim may be buried in rubble from a collapsed building," replied Keely to Johnny.

"I must say, I am very impressed," stated Stanley, as he looked around the table and saw each of his men nodding in agreement with him.

Steve Robinson glanced at his watch and seeing how late it was getting to be, rose from his chair.

"Hank, fellas, its getting late and I need to get back to the office," he informed them. "Keely, it was nice meeting you and if you need me for anything, please don't hesitate to call me." He turned to her as she too rose from her chair. They shook hands, smiling at each other.

"Thank you for everything, Steve, you and the Chief have been more than helpful," she said.

"I'll walk you out, Steve," said Stanley, as he and his men rose from their chairs.

"Bye, guys. Take it easy now and be careful out there," Steve said waiving goodbye to the other firefighters as he and Hank left the Day Room.

"We will. Bye, Steve," said Johnny.

"Hey Henry, what do ya think about our guests?" Chet asked as he sought out his four-legged friend, who by now had lost interest in their guests and had climbed back on to the sofa.

"I'm afraid he's not as impressed by them as we are," laughed Roy.

"Ya know what? Maybe Keely can do something with this lazy old hound," said Johnny jokingly.

"Nah, I'm afraid he's a lost cause," replied Roy, which had everyone laughing.

They all resumed their seats at the table, except Chet, who now sat with Henry on his lap on the sofa.

"You said you had served in Vietnam. Roy here was over there too," Johnny informed Keely.

"Really?" Keely sent Roy a questioning glance. "Where were you and what branch of service?"

"Everywhere it seemed and I was in the Army," Roy replied quietly.

Keely sent him a knowing and sympathetic smile. "I know what you mean, I was first stationed in Saigon, then shipped out to a field hospital. I too was in the Army," she stated softly, then was quiet.

Johnny looked over at his partner, then to their guest. Well, that didn't go off as he had planned. He guessed it was still pretty much a sore subject with them both. He had only wanted Keely to feel a part of things, and had figured that having something in common with one of them would help.

"I detect a southern accent Keely, where are you from?" asked Johnny hoping that this would be a better subject to talk about.

"I'm from a place in Louisiana called Cut Off," she smiled waiting for the usual reaction to the name of the small town.

"Cut Off?!" said both Johnny and Roy, slightly dumb founded.

Keely laughed out loud, which caused the men to look at her, she had one of those laughs you wished you could hear all of the time -- it was warm and genuine. "Yes, Cut Off, Louisiana. It's located at almost the very end of Louisiana, where the bayous and canals are located. Excellent fishing, oyster and shrimp beds galore. Although, you do have to be careful with your small children and pets -- the alligators are notorious about snatching them up right out of your yards. But, it is some of the most beautiful country you will ever see."

"Why did you leave?" asked Roy curiously.

"I joined the Army. It may be beautiful there, but for a woman, there isn't much opportunity, unless you just want to marry and have kids," she said quite frankly. "Oh, don't get me wrong, one day I would love to have a family, but I wanted some adventure and to be able to see more of the world."

"That's understandable," Roy concurred.

"After the Army, I worked as a nurse with the Veterans Administration -- drifting from one facility to another. Then was offered a Head Nurse position here in LA and took it. Been here for the past three years," concluded Keely.

"Which hospital are you working for?" inquired Johnny.

"Rampart Hospital."

"Why that's the hospital we're based out of! I don't remember ever seeing you there," said Johnny in a surprised voice.

"I usually work nights in the Pediatrics' Wing." Keely informed him.

"Oh, that explains it then. I'm afraid Roy and I don't get up there too often," laughed Johnny.

As they had been sitting talking, the other men of the A-Shift had been quietly listening in as they sat around the table. Each of them were impressed by Keely and were beginning to enjoy her company immensely. Not too often did they get to meet a woman of her caliber. She was very intelligent, but did not flaunt it and she made them feel very at ease in her company. Maybe it was due to her having been in the war and having to work closely with men on a regular basis in a very dangerous situation. Each of them felt that if the time came, Keely would more than pull her weight in a rescue and if one of them needed her help, she would not hesitate for a moment.

All at once the tones sounded.