We all have our triggers and turn-offs. A big one for me is the use/introduction of cadaver dogs. When a podcast gets to that point, I stop listening and press shuffle on my favorite Spotify music playlist. Invariably, cadaver dogs are a bright neon sign leading us down a road to nowhere because the listener knows that nothing will be found. In less than 10 seconds, the host could say "we hired cadaver dogs and, unfortunately, nothing turned up." And don't get me started on psychics!
Edit: I should have been more clear. I'm sure cadaver dogs are excellent at what they do. What frustrates me is when a podcast devotes a 45-minute episode to a cadaver dog search that results in nothing. There is nothing inherently interesting about the search itself. But I stand by my unrelated point re psychics!
So I'm rewatching Dexter season 4 and cadaver dogs find a boy buried under concrete. So my question is, can dogs pick up that scent? I know they have strong noses and can detect dead bodies submerged 30 meters down underwater. Can they also smell the difference between dead humans and other animals?
https://www.science.org/content/article/should-dog-s-sniff-be-enough-convict-person-murder
It turns out there has never been any scientific research done to prove the infallibility of dog alerts for cadavers. This has proved problematic for defendants charged solely on the basis of a dog indicating there was a dead body present on their property at some time in the past, even if the body is not found. In the main case cited in the article, remains were found, months after the disappearance of the boy who died, and the dog “proved” the father responsible by alerting on his cabin and truck. The dog and handler involved were from Madison, WI.
What testing has been done on dogs’ abilities to detect the presence or previous presence of firearms or drugs in a certain location, goes lopsidedly against the dogs.
Looks like more junk science in the junkyard!!!
She won’t stop barking at the floorboards near my bed.
Back in one of the earlier seasons, they mention the book about cadaver dog training and I cannot for the life of me find it. Does anyone remember what the book was called?
I just finished the podcast and brought myself up to date with the news. I have some questions but one is this: how soon after someone dies that decomposition scent would be detected by a cadaver dog? I know the body begins to break down almost instantly, but it is at least several hours before anything starts visibly showing. If Paul and Ruben took the body seemingly right after she passed, how would the dogs hit on it?
I read this article on r/ColdCaseUK about cadaver dogs hitting on an area where Fred West possibly has burried more victims.
What if a cadaver dog was sent to the Manitowoc quarry? Wouldn't that be interesting?
Do they use actual decomposing human bodies to train these dogs? Where do they get them? How do they get them in the various states of decomp.? I imagine there are some pretty gross realities about the training of these animals and I'd like to know more about how it's done.
It’s a small way you can help anyone affected violent crime. The dogs need human tissue to train and often samples can be expensive so this is a very useful donation. I contacted a group that does search and rescue, recovery and dog training in my area and asked if they would be interested. They were so I brought a mini cooler with me to the hospital and made sure my nurses knew I’d like to save my placenta. They put it in a biohazard bucket and I took it home on ice! I stored it in my freezer till the trainer was able to come pick it up and I even got to meet the dogs! I wanted to share so that others might consider.
My understanding is that decomp begins pretty quickly after someone dies. So, would a cadaver dog be able to alert immediately? How long does a body take to release the chemicals dogs alert to?
