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the wilderness. He then
mastered several search and rescue disciplines including,
drowning victim recovery, searching disaster scenes
for missing persons, criminal human remains detections,
collapsed buildings and more.
“He was a very active little guy
(so) we decided since we don’t hunt, it was imperative we
find an outlet for his energy, intelligence and curiosity,”
says Boomer’s owner and handler Michael Rehfeld.
Boomer’s courage and discipline
has paid off. He has recovered 12 drowning victims and, last
July, found two teenagers lost in the flood waters in
Frederick County. In 2005, Boomer located two young boys who
went missing after tubing in the Prettyboy Reservoir.
“When Boomer pinpoints the human
odor from the water surface he jumps into the water, swims
figure eight patterns starting wide and narrowing the
pattern down until he detects the point of odor in the
water,” explains Michael. “He then drops his hind legs and
treads water while I mark the location with a hand held GPS
for the dive team to recover the missing person. He rides
back to shore with a big, old, happy lab smile on his face.”
In 2001, just days after the
9/11 attack on the Pentagon, the FBI asked Michael and
Boomer to assist recovery teams in identifying the remains
of the almost 200 victims. Boomer’s 10-day assignment with
the Pentagon Noble Eagle K-9 Evidence Search and Recovery
Unit is noted by author Nona Bauer, who featured Boomer and
his courageous duties in her book, Dog Heroes of September
11th: A Tribute to America’s Search and Rescue Dogs.
“The operation concluded in 10
days with great efficiency and with greater than a ninety
percent recovery rate”, recalls Michael. “According to many
of the family members, this brought closure for them,
allowing them to focus returning to some semblance of
normality.”
Boomer’s work, however, did not
stop there. He has been honored numerous times and, in March
2004, the City of Baltimore and Mayor Martin O’Malley
honored Boomer for his work on the Inner Harbor taxi
incident.
When he’s not saving the world,
Boomer visits the Alzheimer’s Unit at an assisted living
residence, a senior day care center and a nursing and
rehabilitation home each week.
“The residents and clients fully
enjoy the unconditional love and soothing, calming effect
Boomer give them during his visits,” Michael says.
Boomer’s heroism and courage
have not only greatly benefited the community, but also
deeply touched people’s lives. The MVMA is grateful and
happy to have found our hero!
Boomer received his award March
24 at the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Open House in
Annapolis.
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