A University of Alabama student and an anthropology professor recently studied the reliability of dogs trained to sniff out dead bodies.
Alanna Lasseter, a graduate student, and Dr. Keith Jacobi, an assistant professor of anthropology, conducted a series of trials to gauge whether more uniform training methods for the dogs and their handlers could improve their reliability. “A lot of the dogs’ handlers are civilians — good Samaritans — who want to help out, but who do not have access to training facilities,” Jacobi said.
The research indicates revised training methods could offer improvements in some areas. In some cases, the handlers ignored the dogs’ signals because the dog did not respond in the exact manner the handler expected, Jacobi said.
Jacobi and Lasseter have developed a videotape archive of the trials. With additional funding, they hope to add to the archive and develop cadaver dog training videos for law enforcement agencies.
As an undergraduate at UA, Lasseter was selected as one of the University’s 11 McNair Scholars and received funding for the research through the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO program, known as the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Named in honor of McNair, who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, the federal program encourages students from underrepresented backgrounds, and those who are first-generation college students, to enter graduate studies leading to a doctorate degree.