Search and rescue dog

[10] More recently, HRDD's have been used in Canada and the United States to locate unmarked graves of Indigenous children around former residential school sites.

[11] Law enforcement, medical examiners and anthropologists often work closely with cadaver dogs and their handlers, to coordinate searches and evidence and/or body recovery.

In 1808, an untrained dog alerted to the shed of a murder suspect, which led to the discovery of the remains of 2 missing women.

[13] However, the first use of a dog trained exclusively for cadaver searches in forensic casework was not until 1974 by the New York State Police, when they investigated a homicide in Oneida county, which involved multiple victims buried in a large forested area.

[2][14] Most often, purebred dogs are chosen, as it allows a clearer understanding of their potential working abilities, and possible genetic problems.

[21] In training, dogs must demonstrate a willingness to work despite distractions, proper command control, and the ability to learn through positive reward reinforcement.

[5] It is important for the handler to select the methods that work best for their dog, while ensuring they follow 3 main principles: "Patience, perseverance, and praise".

[28] Most SAR teams consist of volunteer handlers and their personal pet dogs, who are also their work partners.

[22] The responsibility falls on the handler to properly recognize and call the dogs alert, or change in behaviour towards an odour, to locate the source of scent.

[5][22] Failing to call an alert could result in missing a target odour source, meaning a person, cadaver, or remains may not be found.

[5] Common in SAR scenes are chemicals, such as petroleum, which can affect the scent tracking accuracy of a dog.

[2] It is important that dogs are given the time to adjust to the environment before beginning the task, and that handlers are aware of any possible contaminants.

[5] As well, because dogs are not perfect, they are also susceptible to bad days, with causes such as physical ailments or a failure to acclimate to the tracking environment.

[5] Numerous countries, cities and regions have search and rescue organizations using dog-and-handler teams that can be mobilized in an emergency or disaster.