Moore County EMA hosts K9 training

Moore County’s Hunter Case, Linford Miller, Zach Means (and, of course, Hoss and Dottie) played host last week at a regional advanced scent discriminate K9 trailing seminar with teams from Franklin and Bedford counties. | *Photo Provided*

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — The Metro Moore County EMA K9 handlers and responders hosted an advanced scent discriminate K9 trailing seminar last week to enhance their K9 search capabilities to locate missing persons and those with Alzheimer’s Disease and autism who are at high risk of wandering.

Public Safety Director Jason Deal and handlers Zach Means, Hunter Case, and Linford Miller along with the Bloodhound partners, K9 Hoss and K9 Dottie, trained with K9 Teams from Franklin and Bedford County EMAs to use advanced scent collection techniques and K9 trailing scenarios to build their missing person search capabilities. Metro Moore County EMS was awarded the Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities grant in 2023 that provides Scent Discriminate K9 Trailing and Response Protocol training to the Moore County Emergency Management K9 Team first responders and resource awareness for the surrounding communities.

The training and resources included in the grant are provided by the Scent Evidence K9 Bringing the Lost Home Program. Moore County EMS has participated in the scent discriminate K9 training with neighboring Bedford Emergency Management and Franklin County Emergency Management and Rescue for the past few years and their teamwork has resulted in multiple lifesaving missing person recoveries in Tennessee.

The grant also implements a highly successful Scent Kit program for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and autism who are at high risk of wandering.

“Moore County EMS is raising the bar in public safety by using their advanced trailing and response skills to save lives and create missing person awareness in the Lynchburg community. They strive to become even better at their job of bringing the lost home by networking and training with neighboring K9 teams and EMA’s,“ stated Scent Evidence K9 CEO, Paul Coley.

Local handlers Zach Means and Hunter Case also recently received their Scent Evidence K9 Master Handler Certificates during the Advanced Scent Discriminate Response Protocol training in Lynchburg. They are pictured here with Metro Moore County EMA Director Jason Deal and Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley. | *Photo Provided*

In just the past year, Moore County’s K9 units were used to help saely located both an autistic child in teh Fayetteville Highway area and an elderly dementia patient near Petty Hollow.

{Editor’s Note: If you’d like to learn more about the origin story of Metro Moore County’s first K9 Bloodhound, Hoss, read our 2022 coverage of his arrival by clicking here.

Local handlers Zach Means and Hunter Case also recently received their Scent Evidence K9 Master Handler Certificates during the Advanced Scent Discriminate Response Protocol training in Lynchburg. Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley presented the certificates with Moore County Public Safety Director Jason Deal to recognize their exemplary K9 search deployments and recovery success.

For more information on how to get a free Scent Kit for someone at risk of wandering in the Lynchburg area contact Metro Moore County EMA office. They can be reached at 931-759-7323. •

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