Question: Why aren't bloodhounds used when hikers and other persons go missing?

Answer: There are many search-and-rescue dogs and various “;K-9”; units in the islands, but a bloodhound is rare here, according to members of the Honolulu Police Department's Canine Unit.

The unit, part of the Specialized Services Division, just happens to have a bloodhound - a 6-year-old veteran scent tracker named Annie.

(The Hawaii Police Department, on the Big Island, also has a resident bloodhound, named Tucker.)

Annie and other search dogs are used “;when requested”; and depending on the circumstances, said Sgt. Lambert Ohia, supervisor of the Canine Unit.

When a request is made, Ohia says he will assess the situation to determine whether the dogs can be used, safely and/or effectively.

High up in the mountains, for example, “;our dogs can't be used ... it would be too dangerous,”; for both the dogs and their handlers, Ohia said.

Bloodhounds like Annie could easily fall off a mountain or go out a window, because they become so focused and driven when following a scent, said Officer John Hall, Annie's primary handler.

But, in general, “;We have used (all the dogs in the Canine Unit for searches) in the past and have been very successful,”; Ohia said.

  Annie by herself has tracked down several missing people, including an elderly man who had fallen down a ravine in Wahiawa in February 2006, recalled Officer Dean Suzuki, Annie's secondary handler.

After initial search efforts failed to locate the man, Annie was brought in and able to point rescuers to a spot in the ravine. Thanks to Annie, the man was brought out alive.

More recently, she helped search for John Parsons, a 77-year-old visitor from Australia, who disappeared earlier this month after going hiking alone along a Waimalu trail. Unfortunately, despite extensive search efforts, Parsons has not been found.

Annie also was involved in the initial search for Kevin Peters, whose abandoned car was found below the cliffs at Makapuu in 2005. Annie tracked a scent to a rocky area across from the Makapuu Lookout, and to a pair of men's shoes. The trail then went cold.

However, it eventually turned out that the shoes did belong to Peters, who had staged his own disappearance after embezzling money from two businesses. He has since been convicted and sentenced to prison.

  Although Annie may not always find the missing person, Suzuki said sometimes it's because “;they weren't there”; to be found. In his view, “;she's still correct”; in doing her job, even if nothing turns up, because she helps eliminate areas to be searched.

Annie joined HPD in November 2003.

Mike Craig, of Hund'stern Kennels in North Carolina donated her to Missing Child Center-Hawaii, through his Canines for Kids organization. Annie was then assigned to the Specialized Services Division.

Hall and Ohia went to North Carolina, spending two weeks there getting acquainted with Annie before bringing her to Hawaii.

Although she was donated to help find missing children, then-HPD Chief Lee Donohue said at a news conference introducing her, “;Annie will also be used to track down escapees and fugitives; and help locate missing hikers and persons suffering from Alzheimer's.”;

  She's now housed in a kennel at HPD's main headquarters on Beretania Street, instead of at the main kennel in Waipahu, because that's a more central location for Hall and Suzuki, who may have to go on assignment with her on a little notice. Hall also may take her home on weekends.

  Hall, who's been with the Canine Unit for 22 years and Suzuki, for 16, are two of nine people assigned to work with the dogs. Of the nine, Ohia and Officer Clerie Silva are certified dog trainers.

In addition to Annie, HPD's Canine Unit has nine “;dual purpose dogs,”; Belgian Malinois or Dutch Shepherds, used for detection sniffing out explosives and narcotics as well as patrol duty, Ohia said.

Six of those dogs are “;explosives”; experts and three are narcotics detectors. On patrol, those dogs also are trained to help find a criminal suspect, or missing person, by “;air scent,”; Ohia said.

Annie, the bloodhound, stands out as the “;scent-discriminating dog,”; tracking someone with her nose to the ground.

Just like in the movies, give her a whiff of an uncontaminated “;scent article,”; such as a piece of clothing, and, once she picks up a trail, she's off and running.

  She's called on to use her special talent about 10 to 12 times a year, Hall said, while the other dogs are put to work about eight to 10 times a month.

Annie, who weighs about 85 pounds, looks deceptively laid-back with her sleepy eyes, droopy ears and loose skin. But she's remarkably strong, Hall said, and very fast moving when she's onto something.

For a dog like Annie, the reward can be the chase itself.

But when Hall and Suzuki want to reward her for a job well done, there's nothing she likes better than a chicken Vienna sausage.

DLNR k-9s retired

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement has “;temporarily decommissioned”; its K-9 unit, said spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

  At one time, the division had seven dog-officer teams, which assisted in numerous search-and-rescue operations, among other diverse patrol duties, she said. But, the dogs eventually all got past their service years and now are retired and living with their handlers.

  “;We are looking into reorganizing/rewriting the (K-9) program,”; Ward said.