We train with our handler for a long time. Sometimes it can take almost two years of training before we can join in a search and rescue. I started my training when I was just 8 weeks old.

For starters, every SAR Dog has to be a Canine Good Citizen. That means we have to be obedient at all times and must get along with other dogs, handlers and people we meet. We even have to be good to other critters! But that's just part of it.

SAR Dogs have to stay in good shape to climb, run and jump. I was taught how to retrieve things for my handler, even in water. I had to learn how to stay in cars and vans for a long time with people and other dogs. Most of all, I learned to search properly using my nose and how to signal my handler when I picked up a scent.

There is special search and rescue training, too. As you can see in the pictures, SAR Dogs learn skills like balancing, not being afraid of high places, following the directions of our handler and learning how to climb ladders. We never know where we will have to go during a search, so we have to be prepared for any challenge.

Our training is a lot of work. Jeff - he's my owner and handler - and I spent a lot of time training together, even at home. We're taught the skills we need to learn. As we work together we quickly become a team. We learn our commands, practice our search skills and become as one in our work. We learn to read each other's signals so we can communicate as a team. When a dog and the handler follow their training and always do the right things, they can be good enough to be trusted going on a real mission.

Finally, I was an official SAR Dog and Jeff and I became part of the Search and Rescue Team.

You might be wondering, "What kind of dog is Hunter?" I'm an All-American Mixed Breed! I guess some people might call me a mutt, but I've got lots of spirit to do the job and that's really important. Just like my handler Jeff, I have to be calm in stressful and changing situations. We SAR Dogs also have to be agile, adaptable and can't be afraid of loud noises.

I'm an Air Scent Dog. You can see me sniffing the air in this picture. Lots of people think we sniff the ground to find people, but we actually smell the air for a human scent. Here's how we do it.

Kind of like the way dogs shed hair, people shed skin cells. The bigger cells fall to the ground and the smaller particles float in the air. Even though a microscope is needed to see these cells, dogs can smell them. Our noses can be up to 10,000 times better than humans!

When looking for a lost person I follow the scent of any human, not just a particular person. That's why Air Scent Dogs work best in large parks or private lands that are closed off and have no other people around. The best times and conditions for our searches is early mornings or late afternoons on cool, cloudy days when there is a light wind.

Of course there are dogs who sniff the ground, too. They are Trailing Dogs, sometimes also called Tracking Dogs. They work at a fast pace and follow the scent of the lost person... and once they pick up that trail, they just keep on going.

Trailing Dogs need to smell something which belongs to that person, like a shirt, socks or even a hat. When they know the scent, they look for just that smell. Their nose is used to find the exact scent, much like you would use your eyes to find a red crayon in a box of different color crayons.

Trailing Dogs give both negative and positive responses along the scent trail. Negative responses tell the handler the scent isn't as strong or it is gone. Positive responses mean the dog found the trail and is working it.

SAR Dog Sookie searches the water. Handler Paul watches for Sookie's "found" signal, which is slapping and biting at the water.

Another search and rescue canine skill is the Water Search Dog, like Sookie. She's a bloodhound. Looking for drowning victims, Water Search Dogs work along the shore and in boats to locate the scent as it rises through the water.

On this mission, Sookie stands at the front of the boat, leans closer and closer to the water and then slaps and bites at the surface when a person underwater is found. Sookie's handler, Paul, then drops a marker into the water and the boat returns to shore. Divers return to where the marker is to locate the drowned victim.

SAR Dog Izzy and her handler Tish search for human remains in the rubble of a burned down building.

Dogs like Isabel, who likes to be called Izzy - she's a Brindel Boxer - is trained as a Human Remains Detection Dog (HRD Dog). They are sometimes called a Cadaver Dog. Their job is to find dead people. That doesn't sound so pretty, but it is an important job to families of the victims and to the justice system if there was a crime. HRD Dogs are trained to detect the body's scent rising from the soil, the same way dogs find where they buried a bone.

HRD Dogs can find very small parts or even blood and may work above or below ground. They are frequently used after disasters like tornadoes or hurricanes. Many of these dogs, along with their handlers, worked long hours searching for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The final skilled canine is the Avalanche Dog. We don't have any of these dogs in Kentucky, but in areas where skiing is a big sport, these dogs are important. They search for people who are trapped under the snow. Avalance Dogs can find someone under as much as 15 feet of snow.

Parker lets Sookie smell Addie's hat. Sookie's sharp sense of smell helps her pick up the scent right away.

Sookie's handler Paul asked if they had some clothes for Sookie to smell. Parker let Sookie sniff a hat that Addie left behind. A SAR dog can smell the shed skin cells from clothing.

We wanted to find Addie fast because it would be dark soon. Our teams split up to search a wide area. Sookie put her nose on the ground and started tracking Addie's scent heading for the pond where they played earlier.

I'm an air scent dog, so I put my nose up in the air and smelled for the scent any person that might be lost - hopefully Addie. As we walked into the woods, Jeff looked at me and said, "Okay Hunter, ready to go to work?"

I looked at Jeff with confidence and he scratched me behind the ears. "Search Hunter," Jeff said. "Find Addie." I mostly use my nose, but we also use our ears to hear someone and our eyes to look for people. That's why you should call for help if you're lost. Always stay where you are and don't move until I can bring help.

Hunter finds Addie crying by a tree. He then barks to alert his handler Jeff that he found the little girl.

Suddenly, I picked up a scent. Could this be Addie? Jeff saw my ears perk up and he knew I was onto something. "Find her, Hunter. Find Addie," said Jeff with excitement. I ran to where I picked up the scent. By a tree, I could see a little girl crying. I barked an alert so my handler Jeff would know I found someone. When I did, the little girl turned around and saw me standing there in my orange rescue vest. She smiled knowing I was a SAR dog and a friend. She ran to me and hugged my neck. Jeff bent down and asked the little girl, "Are you Addie?" She nodded her head and said, "Yes." Well, Addie," said Jeff, "This is Hunter and I'm Jeff. Your parents were worried about you and sent us to find you. Let's go home!"

It was getting dark, so Jeff had me wear a light. He used his flashlight to show the way, too. As we came out of the woods Addie's mom Carrie ran to hug her. Her dad Ben and brother Parker were right behind. They all gave Addie a big hug and told her how worried they were and not to ever go off by herself again. Ben and Carrie thanked Jeff for finding their daughter. Jeff looked at me and said, "It was Hunter who did all the work."