My goal for 2025 was to try for IGP 1 in April, and of course, as life usually works out, that didn’t happen. Nuri tested positive for Lyme in March, and I’m so grateful for knowing what I do about the disease and noticing very early on that she wasn’t her usual self, before any obvious clinical signs showed up. It was little things, like her not chasing deer, and me thinking, “I’m not that good of a dog trainer, something else is going on” and proactively doing blood work, against my vet’s advice. I trusted that I know my dog and I was right.
And then, I lost my dad on April 4th to lymphoma and years of vascular dementia. My last conversation with him was two days before he passed, during a brief lucid moment. He asked how I was doing and I told him I was worried about him. He looked at me and said “I am feeling great” and told me not to worry about him at all. That as long as I am okay, everything will be fine.
Human Remains Detection (HRD)
In October 2025, Nuri and I decided to dabble in human remains detection (HRD). We traveled to Appomattox, VA for a week-long training camp at Holiday Lake 4-H with Old Dominion SAR. We stayed at a nearby bed and breakfast, the camp conditions were a bit rough for my taste. The B&B had its own challenge though: a tiny metal spiral staircase leading to our room that Nuri absolutely refused to climb. So I got plenty of practice with the IPO-RH carry, hauling her up and down several times a day. Not exactly what I had in mind for conditioning work, but it got the job done.
The best parts were the early morning hikes on the grounds and walks during lunch breaks, mostly disconnected from the world. We spent our days learning from wonderful team leads from Tennessee who do SAR day in and day out. The whole experience felt like stepping into a different world – focused, purposeful, immersed in the work.
Why HRD?
I’d been watching Nuri in our regular SAR training, and something wasn’t clicking. She was capable, she could do the work, but there was no spark. She’s never been excited about finding live humans, it just didn’t light her up the way I had hoped. HRD, though? That was different from the very first day, ok, the second day. And by the end, she loved it.
Day One: Figuring It Out
The first day was rough. Nuri was stressed: new place, new people, new work, and a scent unlike anything she’d encountered before. She didn’t know where we were or what we were doing, and it showed. She was uncertain, tentative, trying to figure out what I was asking of her.
I watched her work through it, trying to read her body language, trying to understand what she was telling me. This is where I feel that gap, I can see she’s talented, but I am still learning her language.
Day Two: Everything Clicked
Something clicked for Nuri. She understood. And once she understood, she wanted to work.
I watched her transform. She was slow and methodical in her searching – no rushing, no frantic energy. Just focused, deliberate work. The kind of searching you want in an HRD dog. This wasn’t a dog going through the motions. This was a dog who found her calling.
Day Three and Beyond: The Partnership
As the week went on, something else became clear: Nuri was absolutely aware that I was the weaker link in our team. She could tell I wasn’t reading her correctly. I was a complete newbie to HRD, fumbling through trying to understand what she was showing me. So she adapted. She went out of her way to help me learn how to read her.
She would exaggerate her alerts. Repeat behaviors. Give me clearer signals than she probably needed to give a more experienced handler.
That’s when I really understood what people mean when they talk about a dog being “handler-oriented.” She wasn’t just doing the work. She was actively working with me, compensating for my inexperience, trying to bridge the gap in our communication.
It was humbling. And incredible.
This is where genetics kick in, in my opinion. Generations of working line bred for exactly this kind of work. I am not teaching her anything – she already knows. I am learning to read her tells, to trust what she’s showing me, to let her do what she does naturally. There’s so much I still don’t know about HRD work, but watching her in her element makes me want to learn everything I can.
This is a longer video (5 minutes), but if you know Nuri, it’s worth every second. Watch what she does here:
The article is submerged under a rock in the river. Every other dog went straight into the water and followed the odor that way. But Nuri prefers to not get wet so she figured out how to track the odor on land instead. When she found the source and realized it was under water, she traced it back to the rope that used to hold the article. Brilliantly problem-solved her way to a correct indication without ever having to swim.
This is what I mean about her being methodical. And stubborn. And so, so smart.
Last day of training, and everything is coming together.
Watch how Nuri works here – she knows exactly what she needs to do and she’s doing it. Slow, methodical, confident. No hesitation, no rushing. Just pure focus.
This is what HRD work looks like when a dog has found their calling.
What’s Next
We’re planning to attend another HRD seminar where we hope to continue building on what we started in October and see if this is the path we want to take long-term.
For now, I’m just grateful to have found work that lights her up. After months of wondering if I was somehow failing her in our training, watching her come alive doing HRD work was exactly what we both needed.
She’s so capable. I’m just trying to keep up.