These dogs can follow very old trails for very long distances. They follow where the person's scent drifted from their body and landed on the ground; that may be right along the victim's path or many yards away, depending on such factors as wind speed and direction, time of day, and humidity. They need to know where the victim was last seen and something that has the victim's scent on it. This is known as a scent article. It tells the dog exactly who they need to look for. It is important that the scent article is collected very carefully, so that it is not contaminated by other people. Our dog handlers usually prefer to collect their scent articles themselves. It is also important to collect it in a food grade plastic bag rather than a garbage bag. Some garbage bags are treated with chemicals that degrade the scent, so that your garbage doesn't smell. That's good for your kitchen garbage, but not so good for a scent article. Bloodhounds are the most noted breed of trailing dog. They have been bred for centuries for specifically this purpose. Their noses are exquisitely sensitive and they can remember a specific person's scent for an entire 24 hours without being reminded. Their high endurance and intense focus lets them continue on the trail all day. The longest trail one of our Bloodhounds has ever followed on a successful search was 10 days old and 20 miles long. It crossed state lines and the victim was found the same day that the dog was given the victim's scent.

   Bloodhounds are our main tool in locating people. Bloodhounds do not bark on trail. They are always on leash and are very friendly dogs. When given an unwashed article of clothing (scent article) worn by the missing person, they will discriminate the scent of that person from everyone else. By following this scent they can follow the trail of the person being sought. This leads the searchers right up to the victim, saving time and manpower.  Bloodhounds have the most highly developed olfactory glands of any breed of dogs.