Charleson, Susannah

The author shares stories of the pet rescue work she's performed to locate lost dogs with the help of her own dogs. Explores the power of the connection that bonds humans with their pets and the tactics employed to bring lost pets and their owners back together.

After the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Susannah Charleson was so impressed by the newspaper photo of an exhausted handler and his search-and-rescue dog that she decided to train a dog of her own. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Charleson got Puzzle, a strong, bright Golden Retriever, who from the start, exhibited a unique aptitude for search-and-rescue work. But the puppy's willfulness challenged even Susannah, who had raised dogs for years. Scent of the Missing is the story of Susannah and Puzzle's adventures and the complex relationship they forge as they help in the pursuit and recovery of people who have fallen prey to crime, misadventure, or catastrophe.

Canine search-and-rescue specialist Susannah Charleson presents stories from her job in rescuing dogs from pounds and turning them into psychiatric service dogs--Merlin the chocolate Lab puppy with a broken tail; Ollie, the blind and deaf terrier; and Jake Piper, a once-starving pit bull, all become comforting presences to humans who need them.