The Garda Commissioner has stated that although the force may consider acquiring a cadaver dog for use in searches and murder investigations in the future, there are currently no plans to do so, reports RTE.
Drew Harris explained that cadaver dogs have only been deployed three times during his seven years as commissioner. He noted that cadaver dogs are a highly specialized resource and are not used as frequently as other dogs, such as those trained to detect drugs, firearms, or money.
Mr. Harris further mentioned that while An Garda Síochána might consider acquiring a cadaver dog in the future, to avoid relying on other services, he also highlighted that other police forces could, in turn, rely on the Gardaí, reports RTE.
The commissioner also clarified that a cadaver dog was not used during the initial search of the house in 2017 where Tina Satchwell’s remains were discovered six years later. At the time, while gardaí suspected harm had come to her, they did not anticipate her body being in the house.
Earlier, Ralph O’Conner, the Training Officer for the Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland (North), mentioned that there are currently four specially trained cadaver dogs in Northern Ireland. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, O’Conner explained that the association is always available to assist any police force in searching for human remains, reports RTE.
He noted that training a cadaver dog is a demanding process, but a dog can be fully trained in approximately 22 weeks if done full-time. However, as the members of the association are volunteers, it typically takes about a year to train a dog and have it qualified by their national body.
Mr. O’Conner also stated that any dog with a strong play or prey drive could be trained to search for human remains. “Of course, we prefer dogs with a high play or prey drive. Typical breeds include collies, Labradors, springers, sprockers, shepherds, German Malinois, and Belgian Malinois. While these breeds are ideal, all dogs with the right drive can be trained, and our organization uses a variety of breeds for different search roles,” he said, reports RTE.
He also emphasized the need for more specially trained dogs on the island of Ireland, as the current number of four is insufficient for the population. “There’s always a need for more search and rescue resources. Over the past 20-30 years, we’ve been involved in numerous historical missing persons searches across Ireland. Therefore, a greater number of trained dogs would be needed. However, as an organization, we’re always ready to assist any police force or organization that requires our help,” he concluded, reports RTE.
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