Highly trained dogs take on mission of finding Hawaii fire victims

A year of intense training to discern the difference between human and animal remains is a must for the specialized search dogs deployed to work on Maui following last week's deadly wildfires. But it also takes a dog born with the particular personality needed for the job to find remains of the missing and help bring closure for anguished families, said Mary Cablk, an expert in detection and systems at the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, who has trained hundreds of canines, designed training programs for handlers and still goes out on dozens of searches a year with her own dogs. Cablk is not involved in the Maui recovery operation.