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Search and rescue teams train By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photo by Sue Watson
Holly Springs visitors
One
of the high-spirited search and rescue teams lined up for a second year
for a group photo, this time at the courthouse monument. From left are
Greg Wooten and Tanner (Mt. Pleasant); Ann Dugas and Olivia (Walker,
La.); Harold Hooser and Ruger (Victoria); C.W. Muller (sheriff's
office); Gwenda Hancock and Buck (Marshall County); Christy Davis
(Jacksonville, Fla.); D.J. Beddow and Gracie (Ft. Myers, Fla.); Renel
Jouvenas and Cella (Tallahassie, Fla.); Judy Montgomery and Razz Man
(Tallahassie); and Holly Lofland and Speed (Tallahassie). |
Marshall County was chosen again this year as the right place to train K-9 search and rescue teams and their dogs. About
80 individuals participated in the Network of Canine Detection Services
training recently in Holly Springs, at Wall Doxey State Park, at the
Marshall County Fairgrounds and elsewhere. The
main headquarters of NOCDS is located in DeSoto County but for many
years the site for training search and rescue teams has been Marshall
County, thanks to the supportive community, said D.J. Beddow, of Ft.
Myers, Florida, who assisted local trainer Gwenda Hancock in putting on
the week-long session. Some training
certifications included track/trail, missing children, water search and
rescue and disaster recovery, she said. Teams enjoyed eating at local
restaurants and spending nights at Wall Doxey State Park where they
either tented, rented cabins or camped out in their RVs. 
“The
town is very supportive and businesses allow us to use vacant buildings
and open fields for training the last 14 or 15 years,” Beddow said. The
Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is also a partner in the training
effort and has three K-9 officers, according to deputy C.W. Muller. “We have one narcotics, one patrol, and one bomb-sniffing dog,” he said. Hundreds
of dogs and their handlers have been trained by NOCDS over the years
and have made an impact in their communities, said Beddow. “I
think it sounds dorky but this saves lives with what they teach here
and what we take back,” Beddow said. “People from all over come here to
train.” Some states that have been represented in
recent NOCDS training sessions include Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida,
Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Missouri, and South and North
Carolina. “We are making an impact nationwide,” she said. |
