The Villages - June 2017 - 13

It's just a
lot of fun to
work with her,
creating new
challenges
and scenarios.
Being outdoors,
watching Pansy
enjoy putting
her nose to use
for a purpose.
It's almost
magical.

It's an all-or-nothing deal, Miller said.
The dogs either pass
or fail, following a
- Jill Miller
scent from start to finish, making multiple
turns in a vegetated field and pursing the exact trail
that is set for them. The dogs are released only after
the track has aged from 30 minutes to two hours,
making the scent trail less distinct. More advanced
tracking is done on longer tracks, up to 1,000 yards,
which have been aged for longer periods. They contain diverse and more complex terrain, and require
more turns to follow the scent path. The track configuration differs with each test, and a handler never
knows the route.
With a bit of training, any breed is capable of
the basic levels of tracking, Miller said. Dogs as
short as papillons or dachshunds succeed. But to
advance to higher levels, they need a strong drive
and an instinct and ability to overcome obstacles
and maintain a staunch focus. Some experts believe
a dog can detect odors at concentrations of parts per
trillion, with a sense of smell that is 100,000 times
keener than that of a human.
"It's pretty amazing to watch the dogs at work,
wondering what they are following: skin cells,
perhaps?" Miller said. "There's a lot of mystery
attached to the sport, and tracking is simply shaping
their existing abilities."
Pansy may not advance beyond the beginner
tracking stages. And that's OK with Miller. The two
have other goals.
"It's just a lot of fun to work with her, creating
new challenges and scenarios," she said. "Being
outdoors, watching Pansy enjoy putting her nose to
use for a purpose. It's almost magical."

MAGAZINE

13



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - June 2017

Contents
The Villages - June 2017 - Cover1
The Villages - June 2017 - Contents
The Villages - June 2017 - 1
The Villages - June 2017 - 2
The Villages - June 2017 - 3
The Villages - June 2017 - 4
The Villages - June 2017 - 5
The Villages - June 2017 - 6
The Villages - June 2017 - 7
The Villages - June 2017 - 8
The Villages - June 2017 - 9
The Villages - June 2017 - 10
The Villages - June 2017 - 11
The Villages - June 2017 - 12
The Villages - June 2017 - 13
The Villages - June 2017 - 14
The Villages - June 2017 - 15
The Villages - June 2017 - 16
The Villages - June 2017 - 17
The Villages - June 2017 - 18
The Villages - June 2017 - 19
The Villages - June 2017 - 20
The Villages - June 2017 - 21
The Villages - June 2017 - 22
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The Villages - June 2017 - 24
The Villages - June 2017 - 25
The Villages - June 2017 - 26
The Villages - June 2017 - 27
The Villages - June 2017 - 28
The Villages - June 2017 - 29
The Villages - June 2017 - 30
The Villages - June 2017 - 31
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The Villages - June 2017 - 33
The Villages - June 2017 - 34
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The Villages - June 2017 - 36
The Villages - June 2017 - 37
The Villages - June 2017 - 38
The Villages - June 2017 - 39
The Villages - June 2017 - 40
The Villages - June 2017 - 41
The Villages - June 2017 - 42
The Villages - June 2017 - 43
The Villages - June 2017 - 44
The Villages - June 2017 - 45
The Villages - June 2017 - 46
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The Villages - June 2017 - 50
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