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By JAMES KOGUTKIEWICZ - GM Today Staff
December 26, 2003

Sage, a 4-year-old British border collie, sits obediently after finding evidence of human blood and hair in a potted plant at the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department. The dog’s elite-level training was used to search the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sage and her owner, Diane Whetsel, of Carlsbad, N.M., are visiting Waukesha through Jan. 6.

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WAUKESHA - Diane Whetsel’s search dog Sage answers her every command and then begs for more.

Sage, a 4-year-old British border collie, lives for the orders that lead it to a trace of human blood, hair or skin. The dog’s discovery can mean investigators solve a murder case, or in an extreme example, find the body of a terrorist who took part in the Sept. 11 attacks.

"She found the terrorist that piloted the plane into the Pentagon," said Whetsel, of Carlsbad, N.M.

Whetsel and Sage are spending the holidays in Waukesha County, training with Dousman-based 911BC K-9 Search & Recovery. The information swap will benefit Sage and 911BC’s border collie, Zip, Whetsel said.

Sage is one of about 50 dogs nationwide to achieve the highest training level recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, she said. Sage even has a Secret Service identification card.

"They’re the Navy Seals of search dogs," Whetsel said.

Whetsel offered a demonstration of Sage’s abilities recently in the lobby of the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.

A.J. Marhofke, of 911BC, placed a trace amount of dried human blood and hair in a potted floor plant by the entrance of the nearby Waukesha County Medical Examiner’s office. Sage then entered the room and dutifully sniffed and searched every inch of floor Whetsel pointed to while saying, "Check."

Sage covered the entire lobby in about 30 seconds, quickly finding the evidence. The dog’s reward? A neon-green floppy Frisbee.

"This is what she works for," Whetsel said. "Her favorite thing in the world is to play with this Frisbee."

While Whetsel explains the nuances of training dogs for this type of work, Sage returns to the potted plant, reminding the few people around that this is the spot it was asked to identify.

"She’s remembering," Marhofke said. "That’s how smart border collies are."

Sage remains restless while Whetsel compliments 911BC, calling it one of the best forensic search teams in the country. The dog still wants to work.

Once, Sage searched thousands of acres of New Mexico desert until her paws were rubbed raw, Whetsel said. When Whetsel noticed the injuries, the search had to be called off, despite Sage’s desire to continue.

It took two weeks for those wounds to heal, but they did not dampen the dog’s eagerness, Whetsel said. The training emphasizes motivation, not punishment, she said. Rolled-up newspapers are nowhere to be found during the process.

"We make a game out of it," Whetsel said. "She loves doing this."

James Kogutkiewicz can be reached at jkogutkiewicz@conleynet.com

For information about elite level search dogs and the discoveries they are trained to make, log on to: www.disasterdog.org

To learn about Dousman-based 911BC K-9 Search & Recovery, whose efforts were featured on the television show Animal Planet, log on to: www.911bc.org

This story appeared in the Waukesha Freeman on Dec. 26, 2003.