Replies

A scent dog is given a scent article of the *specific* person who is the subject of the search. These dogs are the ones on long leashes and are either called tracking or trailing dogs.

Okay, I won't laugh at you, if you won't laugh at me. For purposes of the most efficient tracking scent article given to a "tracking" dog, it would seem that, if a shoe is available, a shoe would be that specific article. That leads me to believe that Merlin supposedly put his nose to the ground, and tracked by "shoe scent". Laci's "tracks" went in an opposite direction from that of other police dogs, and WALKED away from the house according to Merlin. If she walked, according to Scott, it was Christmas Eve. According to MPD, they think Laci was already dead. I'm sure I must not be making sense, but I make sense to me. ;^)

The scent dogs can follow the scent in the air or in the ground, in a freezer, under concrete, in a car etc. It's air scent.

See, if Merlin is highly trained, he's going to track the scent that is most fresh. Since a cadaver scent is stronger than a one or two or three day old scent, my guess is that is why *both* dogs ended up at the bay. And we know she didn't walk to the bay!