Scent Of The Missing by Susannah Charleson

This is Susannah’s first book about the working dog and human relationship. In this book, Charleson’s first begins working in a search-and-rescue (SAR) program as a human volunteer (zero pay) who works along side a canine team. She learned to record the information as the team was in search mode. She also learns to read the search dog’s signals.

After much training running with another search team, Susannah was ready to adopt and train a dog of her own. A beautiful Golden Retriever puppy named Puzzle becomes that partner.

As a reader, you get to follow along in the search dog-training journey. You get to learn what is required in the training - the highs, lows, and even the frustrations experienced when training a dog beyond the basics learned by house dogs. Along this trek, there are stories of Puzzle interacting with Susannah’s pack of Pomeranians.

Susannah recounts actual search-and-rescues she has helped with as a team member of the Metro Area Rescue K9 unit in Dallas, Texas. Each search produces various emotions in the humans and dogs involved, and can be very taxing physically and mentally. One of the most demanding searches was after the loss of the space shuttle Columbia.

Susannah is a great storyteller, pulling in the reader to walk or run beside a SAR team in search mode. She brings understanding of what is required and the toll taken by each SAR member – human and dog. Susannah also intertwines humor in her accounts.

With winter closing us up in our homes, take time to read. I love to read non-fiction books about human animal relationships and their bonds. Scent Of The Missing is the second book I've read written by Susannah Charleston. This is a great book about the loving partnership between a human and her dog learning to become a team in search-and-rescue work. I enjoyed it immensely. I give it Five Paws Up.

(I use "Paws Up" instead of stars or thumbs up for my rating scale. Five Paws Up is the best rating.)