WESTERN BUREAU:
THE SIX-YEAR-OLD sniffer dog, Valerie, that was brought into the island to assist with the search of missing American travel writer, Claudia Kirschhoch, is living in style at a hotel in Negril.
According to its trainer, Harry Oakes, his dog shares his space, including his bed, wherever they go.
"Whatever I eat she eats. Last night we had chicken for dinner and pancakes and bacon for breakfast. In America a search and rescue dog has the same rights as a person," Mr. Oakes stated.
Valerie, he said, has covered over 1,395 missions around the world including the Oklahoma City bombing and during the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras where she discovered 29 dead persons.
In the Turkish earthquake, the dog found 35 people (21 dead persons and 14 alive). To date, the dog has successfully found a total of 259 dead persons worldwide.
Valerie is a member of the International K-9 Search and Rescue Services for missing people and pets and is based in Portland, Oregon, USA. She has been valued at US$36,000.
