What We Do

Our focus

MACRT currently ONLY trains dogs for human remains detection.

Our K9s are trained to locate the odor of human remains across a variety of environments and search scenarios. Training emphasizes reliable detection, clear alerts, environmental adaptability, and the ability to distinguish human remains from non-human sources.

Human Remains Detection

Searches for human remains range from cold cases that are several years to decades old, to verification of historical gravesites and assisting law enforcement and private investigators in providing forensic evidence for active cases.

Canines that are suitable for this work have a high drive and a natural ability to hunt for the odor spectrum we train them on. They are agile dogs with good endurance, environmental sureness and are social or neutral with people and other canines. All dogs are trained in basic obedience and have the ability to work on or off lead during a search.

A brown dog with a green collar walking on a concrete surface, with a stack of large white bags and a wooden plank in the background.

Trained Final Response

All K9s are trained to perform a specific behavior when they find the odor of human remains. This may be a sit, down or bark at source. This trained behavior, also known as a “Trained Final Response” is a required skill of all the canines and must be performed consistently.

A black Labrador Retriever dog wearing an orange collar and leash, sitting on the floor of a school hallway, sniffing and looking at a row of green lockers.

Search Environments

HR K9s must show fluency in a variety of environments including:

  • Wilderness and large-area searches

  • Urban environments

  • Building interiors and exteriors

  • Vehicles

  • Shorelines

  • Ponds and lakes

  • Rubble and other challenging environments

They must alert to a wide range of age and size of remains, as well as discriminate between what was human and what might be animal remains. It is just as important for a handler and K9 to clear an area and have confidence that an area is negative (contains no remains).

Certification

All deployment-ready teams maintain a certification through one or more of the nationally recognized organizations (International Police Work Dog Association; National Search Dog Alliance or others).

It typically takes approximately 1.5 – 2 years to train a dog to certification status, and certification does not mean the dog will be considered deployable if training experience and exposure is too limited during that period. Therefore, all handlers must commit to regular team training as well as participating in external seminars where they and their K9s are exposed to other source material, environments and methodologies.

A police or rescue dog sitting among broken concrete and rocks, with a person in an orange uniform blurred in the foreground.
A dog, likely a border collie, wearing an orange service vest, is trying to open or reach into a red locker at a school hallway.

Odor Recognition

All our HR dogs are exposed to a broad spectrum of human remains odor including:

  • Very small / trace evidence (such as a blood smear)

  • Burned remains

  • Buried remains

  • Submerged remains

  • Dry bone

  • Body components (limbs, wet bone, skin, fat, muscle)

  • Whole cadaver

Our team trains regularly with the Center for Forensic Training and Education to ensure all canines will alert on a whole body. Many of our K9s have had multiple whole body training exposures through the Center for Forensic Training and Education (CFTE) or training at other sites across the country.

A Belgian Malinois dog standing on a grassy field with a background of blurred green trees, wearing a colorful collar and a red harness with a leash attached.

Different Human Remains Detection Disciplines

Wilderness Searches

In wilderness HRD searches, K9s work off leash to search large areas efficiently.

Training focuses on:

  • Searching large and varied terrain

  • Working independently while maintaining communication with the handler

  • Following odor across changing terrain and environmental conditions

  • Maintaining an effective search pattern

  • Detecting human-remains odor at varying distances and concentrations

  • Providing a consistent Trained Final Response - even out of sight

Wilderness searches require K9s with strong endurance, environmental confidence, and the ability to work for extended periods across challenging terrain.

A tan dog wearing a harness and leash walking under a car with a white tarp or cover on top.

Water - Boat & Shoreline

Water searches involve K9 teams working on shorelines or from boats to locate human-remains odor associated with submerged sources.

Multiple MACRT K9s are currently training for water HRD. At this time, none of our K9s are certified in it.

A dog with black, white, and brown fur looking up at a person in a wooded area.

Crime Scene

Crime scene HRD is a more detailed search discipline. K9s typically work on leash and are trained to systematically search specific areas and objects.

This may include:

  • Vehicle searches

  • Building interiors and exteriors

  • Other locations requiring detailed, close-range searches

Crime scene training emphasizes precision and thoroughness. K9s must be able to work in confined or complex environments, investigate individual areas systematically.

A Belgian Malinois dog wearing a harness on a boat, looking out over a body of water with green trees in the background. The dog is standing on the edge of the boat, with a person's hand holding its tail.
  • A black Labrador Retriever with an orange leash and collar looking at lockers in a school hallway.
  • A merle and white Australian Shepherd dog wearing a search and rescue harness and collar, standing on a trail with blurred greenery in the background.
  • A dog with black and brown fur running on snow-covered ground with trees in the background.
  • A black Labrador retriever dog with its tongue out, in an outdoor setting.
  • A person in black clothing and boots training a merle Bordr Collie dog with blue eyes on a leash.
  • A black and white merle Bordr Collie wearing an orange harness, standing on its hind legs with front paws on a row of red lockers in a school hallway.
  • A dog standing on a rocky surface against a clear blue sky.
  • Cute black Labrador puppy lying on an elevated bed, panting with its tongue out, wearing a red leash.
  • A happy black, white, and brown Border Collie dog with an orange collar sitting outdoors in a wooded area, looking up at a person wearing black pants.
  • A brown dog with a green collar standing on its hind legs, reaching and sniffing a bulletin board or display wall.
  • A person in an orange jacket and gray pants walking a Belgian Malinois dog on a leash outside on a cloudy day.
  • A Belgian Malinois dog with a tan coat, black face, and large pointed ears standing on green grass in a park with a blurred green background.
  • Dog with a harness sniffing at a metal fence at an animal shelter or kennel facility.
  • A black and gray puppy runs toward the camera on a paved outdoor surface with rocks and greenery in the background.
  • A close-up of a dog's face with large ears, looking up. The dog is standing on a textured gray surface, with a red leash attached to its collar.
  • A dog, possibly a Belgian Malinois, walking outdoors on a dirt path with trees in the background.