For the last month, I have been involved in training Gabriel for Search and Rescue. First of all, Gabriel is my angel, he is my reminder, he is the one who shows me that everyone needs to feel like they have a purpose.
To see him learning the ropes is truly astonishing. He is full of glee. That's the only word I can think of that comes close to describing his wide-mouthed smile every time he finds someone behind a tree or when he has to use his outrageous sense of smell to locate the traces of cells that humans leave in the air as they walk from one place to another.
I am pretty sure he has been trying to tell me about his talents since we became companions. Maybe it was in the way he chased jack rabbits through scratchy, low-lying desert vegetation, or was it in the way he shoved his nose into vole holes, hyperventilating and hoovering around until he plucked one, squealing, from the ground.
In any case, I am listening now.
We discovered Metrodogs quite by accident one day when I decided to take a different trail (hark, I hear Robert Frost), and we have been addicted ever since.
I don't know where this will lead us, but I do know I have met some extraordinary humans and a small pack of enthusiastic, big-hearted dogs, and I think I might write a children's book one day about how the rescued dog turned into a rescuer. Gabriel is my hero, as are the dogs and humans who do this work. I love : :seeing: : the world through his nose. The most I can do is get out of his way and let him do what he does best.
Please check out this lovely article on Metrodogs:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503832.html
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