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            Auburn University - University Relations
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4/28/95                 Janet McCoy

AUBURN VET COLLEGE HELPS SEARCH/RESCUE DOG TEAMS IN OKLAHOMA 

      AUBURN -- As the tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing unfolds and 
rescue workers, families and Americans learn to cope with the tragedy, 
one special group of rescuers is getting help from an Auburn University 
veterinarian.
      Like humans, dogs used in the search and rescue operation are 
susceptible to depression and stress, says Larry Myers, associate 
director of the Institute for Biological Detection Systems in AU's 
College of Veterinary Medicine.
      Myers has conferred with Caroline Hebard, who directs the U.S. 
Disaster Team, a canine search and rescue program which has been in 
Oklahoma City, about the work the dogs are doing, Òthe stress they are 
under, injuries on the job and how to prevent them and how to treat them.Ó
      Canine injuries  so far have been minor, Myers says, "but 
particular care needs to be taken with these animals and we recommended a 
veterinary monitoring station to be set up to help these dogs.Ó
      "Mostly we talked about how we can help the dogs," he said. "We 
also talked about what type of training is most appropriate and how to 
prevent the dogs from having any problems."
      Hebard, who has worked in numerous natural disasters and other 
disaster sites, spent three days in Oklahoma City working as a 
non-government organization with the veterinarians on site.
       "I mainly told them based upon my experience and observations 
what the dogs would be needing, things like saline to clean their eyes 
and nose, and protective pads for their paws," she says. 
      Using dogs in search and rescue "has become standard operating 
procedure," Myers says.
      Dogs use their keen sense of smell and direction to do the work 
that humans cannot, says Myers, an associate professor in the Department 
of Physiology and Pharmacology who does research on sensory physiology, 
animal behavior and chemical detection. 
      A week has past since rescuers have found any victims alive, and 
rescue team members -- including the dogs -- are reportedly depressed and 
stressed.
      "Search and rescue dogs are trained to find victims, especially 
live victims," Myers says. "Their primary issue of searching is to find 
them alive."
      He says dogs, like people, respond differently to a corpse.
      "They respond adversely, and it's not part of their training, but 
is something innately in the dog,Ó he says.  ÒIt is something that needs 
to be studied."
      Myers says while the term ÒdepressionÓ is a subjective term in 
dealing with animals, it frequently means the dogs start having 
behavioral problems or acting in some way that is not normal to his or 
her personality.
      Stress or depressed symptoms exhibited by the dogs include 
lethargy, he said, adding, "Working is something a trained dog enjoys and 
when you can't get them out of the car you know something is wrong."
      Some of the dog handlers, in fact, have started hiding in the 
rubble around the federal building so the dogs can find them.
       "It is really providing the dogs and pleasant stimulant and is a 
positive reinforcer for them,Ó said Myers. "It only takes a few live 
finds for the dogs to snap out of it (depression).Ó   
      Myers says new training techniques have been developed recently 
to make the dogs respond differently to live and dead findings.
       "A alive alert is a aggressive alert, such as a barking dog or 
the dog digging where there is a victim," he says. "The response for a 
dead alert is a passive alert, such as the dog lying down."
      The IBDS, founded in 1989, was the first U.S. center to study 
existing detection methods and how to improve them and develop advanced 
sensing technology. To date, AU's center is the largest of three in the 
United States.
      Myers says it is frustrating to see the attention being paid to 
the discipline under the circumstances of a tragedy.
       "This type of research needs constant attention so we can 
incorporate security systems to prevent tragedies like this from 
happening.Ó he added. 
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april95:auokladogs                                                          
CONTACT: Myers, 334/844-4237.