By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Cumberland K9 Search and Recovery Trainers Robin Moore and Theresa Dabbs, with their K9s Millee and River, demonstrated their skills at Saturday’s Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads district conference at the Henry Co. Fairgrounds. The conference was hosted by the Henry County Rescue Squad and included squad members from the area, including Carroll, Obion, Dyer, Decatur, Humphreys, Chester, Lauderdale, Hardeman Counties and more.
Moore and Dabbs also brought K9 Princess Charlotte with them—called Charlee—who is still in training.
Millee and River demonstrated how quickly they could find human remains, which had been hidden earlier by the trainers.
Both Millee and River have been among those K9s who have been working tireless to find Baby Joe Clyde in Dickson County during several searches over the past few months. “These two dogs have searched 100 miles for Joe Clyde”, Moore said. “And we’re not going to give up until he’s found.”
Cumberland K9 Search and Recovery is a non-profit organization that works for free for law enforcement all over the area.
Moore said she took Millee to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and described how, even among the piles and piles of debris and the range of foul odors, Millee could find human remains under the debris. “It all just smelled bad to me, but she could zero in on it,” she said.
Millee is a Labrodoodle who also is a certified therapy dog, which she said comes in handy at recovery scenes. Millee, and the other K9s, do provide comfort for the families at search scenes.
The K9s in the Cumberland organization—and their trainers—conduct training all year round in all kinds of weather conditions, Moore noted. “Drownings don’t just happen when the weather is just right, so we train in all weather conditions.”
Lt. Carol Tedford of the Henry Co. Rescue Squad said she has seen first-hand how the K9s help families in such situations.
Photos: Robin Moore and Theresa Dabbs with Millee and River; Millee alerts to human remains; River with his reward. (Shannon McFarlin photos).
.
Menu
