Two cadaver dogs, including one used in the search for Dylan Redwine, get new sources of human scent to train on as quickly as handler Roy Vreeland finds them.
The latest training aid is the human tooth.
Vreeland, deputy chief of support services at Upper Pine Fire Protection District, trains Cayanne, a 6-year-old female Belgian Malinois who was used in the Redwine investigation, and Hannah, a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd.
Vreeland gets extracted teeth coated with dried blood from dentist Mason Miner, who has set aside teeth for Vreeland for a couple months.
Cayanne, also a tracker, has trained since puppyhood to recognize human scent on bones, blood and tissue but never teeth.
Hannah, the junior partner of the team, is only beginning to train as a tracker, but she looks promising as a cadaver dog. This week, she located a tree stump on Vreeland’s rural property on which he had emptied human fluid more than two years ago.
On a recent visit to Miner’s office to pick up teeth, Vreeland demonstrated the prowess of Cayanne. Out of her sight, Vreeland placed a tooth on the floor of the foyer outside Miner’s office, then gave a command.
Cayanne sniffed around for 20 seconds to find the tooth. Then she sat motionless to indicate the search was over.
Vreeland now will use teeth in training the two canines. They keep their skills sharp by doing something almost every day, he said.
He uses a 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood with holes drilled in it. Behind some holes he places an object with human scent while other holes are empty or have an inanimate object with no scent.
Cadaver dogs have been found to be highly effective nationally in finding human remains, said Dan Bender, spokesman for the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
“They’re another tool in the box,” Bender said. “They have helped us gather evidence for cases.”
Vreeland and Cayanne were at Vallecito Reservoir as soon as teenager Dylan Redwine was reported missing. She was a tracking dog initially but became a cadaver dog when the 13-year-old wasn’t found soon.
“In 2013, we were probably at Vallecito 50 to 60 times in all,” Vreeland said.
Dylan went missing Nov. 19, 2012, while on a visit with his father, Mark. Partial remains of the boy were found in 2013 on a remote section of Middle Mountain near Vallecito.
Vreeland and Cayanne have visited the mountain since to expand the search area. When Cayanne returns with no leads, it is almost certain there was no human scent there, Vreeland said.
The search for Dylan was Cayanne’s first experience as a cadaver dog, Vreeland said. But constant training keeps her prepared for another assignment.
Cadaver dogs are highly responsive to any trace of human scent, Vreeland said. As incredible as it may seem, cadaver dogs are used in England where archaeological research is done, he said.
Vreeland keeps samples of blood, bone and tissue in a freezer in jars labeled with identifying information. There is breast-surgery tissue, placenta, vials of blood and hair from a beauty salon.
Among his collection is a knee joint.
“It’s been easier to get donations since the Dylan case,” Vreeland said. “Before, people were not quite so willing.”
Cayanne began training as a tracker when she was 8 to 10 weeks old.
“She was bored in the winter because we couldn’t get out much,” Vreeland said. “That’s when I started the cadaver training.”
daler@durangoherald.com
