A Heaven Scent Nose Knows Hometown Heroes

Dianne Thees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pennsylvania Field Office, her husband Mike, along with their dogs Luke and Belle, were honored by their town of Tyrone, Pennsylvania, with the Hometown Hero award for their incredible volunteer service in canine search and rescue.

Initially inspired by her brother, Dianne began volunteering in canine search and rescue as a way to give back to others. Realizing her passion, canine search and rescue quickly became a lifestyle for Dianne, and in 2007, Dianne and Mike founded Heaven Scent Search and Rescue.

Dianne and Mike, along with their two beloved bloodhounds, have been an active part of search and rescue efforts in their community and in surrounding counties. Partnering with state and local police, they have helped locate missing children and adults, lost hunters and hikers, and suspects in a variety of criminal investigations.

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Dianne and Belle running a trail.[/caption]

In addition to active search and rescue, the Thees team provides educational programs to police and fire departments, school programs, Boy Scout troops, church groups, and other civic organizations. They also provide opportunities for volunteers to act as “runners”, or the persons of interest, during training.

Dianne and Mike only use bloodhounds in their search and rescue efforts, since bloodhounds are bred specifically for finding humans. Mike says, “bloodhounds are scent discriminatory and are unique in what they do. No two people smell the same, not even identical twins or triplets and we’ve worked with both. Your scent is like a thumb print to them,” each one is different.

Dianne and Mike’s heroic work does not go unrecognized. “To have the community nominate and select you, and recognize the thousands of volunteer hours you’ve put in training and traveling, is extremely humbling,” says Dianne. She spends most of her vacation time on search calls.

Lora Lattanzi, project leader and supervisor for the Pennsylvania Field Office, feels incredibly fortunate and proud to have Dianne as part of her team and their community. “With over 33 years as a federal employee, and 18 years spent training and working with bloodhounds for search and rescue, Dianne truly epitomizes hard work, dedication, and selfless service to others.”

Thank you Dianne, Mike, Luke, and Belle for all that you do!