ChesCo Search Dogs, a nonprofit that provides its services voluntarily, helped find a missing man who had a medical emergency while hiking in West Chester last week. Beccah Hendrickson provided details for 6ABC.

The canine search-and-rescue unit comprises volunteers who train their K9 companions. Its ranks include Gauge, a two-year-old Labrador Retriever.

The human/dog teams responded almost immediately to this remote situation with serious implications. They quickly started scanning the Gordon Natural Area near West Chester University.

“We had put our first dog out at 6 o’clock, and by 8 o’clock we had located the subject,” said Craig Snyder, who leads the nonprofit. “Everyone that’s on their team has one main trait, and that is they love their dogs.”

There are two types of search dogs:

• trailing dogs that are guided by scent from an article of clothing (for example) to trace a missing person’s movement across a geography
• tracking dogs that use scent to zero in on one specific person, to the exclusion of all others

“As you’re walking, you’re leaving behind scent,” said Snyder. “As you’re stopped, you’re leaving behind more scent, and they’re just sniffing the air trying to catch a whiff of a person.”

It takes many hours to perfect these skills; however, the dogs are happy to put them to work.

Each outing ends with a coveted treat and many thanks for locating a person in need.

More about ChesCo Search Dogs is at 6ABC.