Falco's Story
This rescued pooch returned the favor by rescuing people.
In 2013, a guy approached Aaron wanting to open a K-9 business with him and offered Aaron a dog. When Aaron showed up, he found a series of kennels that were more like walk-in closets with no daylight and where the dogs ate, they had urinated, and defecated inside. “I took Falco out of his kennel, and he looked horrible. I just said, ‘How much for this dog?’” Aaron paid and left with Falco, who was covered in feces and urine, and he was all matted and had chewed off pieces of his tail. A partnership was formed here, a lifetime partnership, between Aaron and Falco. Aaron had rescued the dog of his dreams. “When I met him, I loved his drive and intensity. But through training is where we bonded the most -- we’re inseparable. I don’t go anywhere besides the gym without him.”
Within two months of being together, the two had passed the NNDDA (National Narcotic Dog Detector Association) certification with flying colors. From there, “I blended a little bit between tracking and narcotics -- I let his hunt drive take over. I believe in learning from as many different disciplines and people as you can and make your own way. If you come across a problem with your dog, you need a lot of tools in your toolbox.”
Falco has been trained to smell human decomposition. He can sniff a Q-tip's amount of blood in 5 acres, and he's been locating missing people since 2013. He's often brought in for all-hope-is-lost missions, like this one.
On this day, Falco's first instinct was to sprint west. The detectives shook their heads. They'd been focusing their search efforts in the opposite direction. The dense forest was tricky to navigate, but the dog charged right into a mass of brush and thorny vines. Three minutes later he gave his silent alert: seated, rigid body, nose down. Falco had located the dead man.
"Most police dogs sniff out drugs or bombs," says Tucker, Falco's owner and handler. "But our skill set makes it possible to close a chapter by bringing the missing home. We can bring peace to the soul and the family."
Falco stood out for his valor and leadership. When they're were not in the field, Falco and Tucker taught search tactics to other K9 teams. They had a special bond. During one search mission, a man jumped out of the woods and came at Tucker. He ignored commands to show his hands until Falco intervened, barking and growling until backup arrived and took the man into custody. Falco got his favorite snack—a ham hock—as a reward.
Aaron's lost his long time K9 companion and bestfriend, Falco this past October. Aaron, Archer and the entire DoggyRade Unleashed pack will be forever missing you Falco.
