My family and I have had Keela for two-and-a-half years. She came to be with our family by way of our daughter's friend, who had a friend who was going through a divorce. He was looking for somebody to foster his eight-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever puppy because he couldn't find an apartment that would allow her residence. This friend also worked long hours and felt it wouldn't be fair to the puppy to keep her in a crate for several hours every day.

We arranged for a "home visit" with Keela and her owner. He brought Keela to see if we were a good fit for his puppy. At the time, we had two other Labrador retrievers, so we felt having one more join us for a short time would not be an issue. When Keela was introduced to our other two Labs, they instantly became playmates. We had a kiddie pool in the yard, and all three dogs played in the water and chased each other. It was a natural fit.

Keela was handed over to us to care for her on a temporary basis. After a few months, Keela's owner contacted me and said he was still having trouble finding a home that would allow a dog. He said he was very happy with how we were raising her, and that she seemed happy to be with us. She had two playmates, a large fenced-in yard, and lots of hugs and kisses from her human foster family. Her owner asked me if I would be willing to keep her permanently, and that he would surrender her to us. We accepted without hesitation, as we had become attached to the little chocolate dog. My other Labradors are yellow and black, and having all three colors at the same time had been a lifelong dream of mine.

My other two Labs are hunting dogs, but Keela never really seemed to be excited about retrieving or hunting in general. She was more of a stay-at-home dog and loved to be snuggled. One day, I had some meat outside near our front door, and I found Keela sniffing at the inside of our living room window, smelling the meat. I thought to myself that she had a good nose, and that perhaps she would be good at finding people. I am the current commander of the Clinton County Emergency Services Team (EST), and one of our functions is to perform search and rescue. I thought she may be good at trailing lost and missing people.

I contacted a friend of mine who is a canine handler for the Eaton County Sheriff's Office. He gave me some pointers on how to familiarize Keela with trailing. Using the techniques he taught us, we were able to establish that she had an ability to follow a person's scent. To her, trailing is a game that she thoroughly enjoys!

In January, Keela and I officially started training with the Clinton County Sheriff's Office K-9 team and police K-9 teams from various agencies throughout the tri-county area. We also have trained with K-9 teams from Kent County Search and Rescue. We are training specifically for search and rescue human trailing. She is trained on scent discrimination, which means she is taught to ignore other scents in an area and focus only on the scent of the person she is looking for. We will be testing this fall for certification, meaning we will have met a national search and rescue standard and have proven a competency to participate in missions.

Keela has not been on an actual missing person search yet. During our training, she searches with great intensity. She really loves training with children. Her disposition is very sweet, and when we find a person we are training with, Keela will respond by lying next to them if they are on the ground.

Keela and I have to function as a team. I have to read her body language while also looking for clues and maintaining our safety. If a mistake is made, it is usually because of something I did or didn't do. Handling a search and rescue K-9 is difficult work, and there is a lot of physical and mental preparation that I as a handler must do. I need to know search and rescue techniques, lost person behavior, first aid (both human and K-9), and scent theory. I must carry appropriate gear in my pack to provide aid to Keela, others, and myself. I also must carry communications equipment (cell phone and a two-way radio), water, and survival equipment. I also carry a GPS (global positioning system) unit and a compass. It is very important that Keela and I don't become injured while looking for somebody. Safety is our primary concern. As a member of the Clinton County EST, I am responsible for all training expenses, dog food, veterinary care, and housing. Clinton County EST is comprised entirely of volunteers, so we do not get paid for our services. If we can save just one human life, the personal expense of training and owning a search and rescue dog will be minuscule in comparison.

As a human trailing dog, Keela searches in all weather conditions, day and night. We often work through dense undergrowth full of thorns and sticks. Eye injuries are common for these dogs, and it is very important that she gets regular eye exams to determine if there are any issues. Her eyes and nose are vital tools to complete our K-9 team. Without sharp eyes and a trained nose, our job would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. She works much closer to the ground, and she may see something from her level that I cannot see while standing upright.

We were accepted into the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO)/StokesRx National Service Animal Eye Exam program this past April. We were able to have Keela's eyes examined at no cost. She received a complete ocular screening by Dr. András Komáromy from the MSU Veterinary Medical Center. Keela immediately fell in love with "Doc." He performed her examination without any issues, and Keela received a clean bill of eye health. Dr. Komáromy explained the entire process to me and gently worked on Keela. He spoke to her the entire time, keeping her at ease. It was obvious to me that Dr. Komáromy loves his work and his patients. I was impressed with the entire staff at the MSU Veterinary Medical Center. They were very kind and took great interest in what we were doing as a K-9 team. Keela responded well to the staff as well.

Keela is a happy, healthy three-year-old now and loves her "job." We work very well as a K-9 team and look forward to serving our community for a very long time.