Mark Williams-Thomas suggests Madeleine woke, wandered and was abducted.

[ferryman]

I'm making a strictly factual statement you happen not to like very much.

Too bad, I'm afraid.

http://www.vsrda.org/about-vsrda/using-air-scent-dogs

Dog teams will try to avoid other searchers
While air-scenting dogs will discriminate between other searchers and the missing person (4) , they are trained to find “anyone” in the assigned search area, including members of ground search teams, family members trying to help and other hikers. It is therefore preferable, but by no means essential, to assign dog teams to areas thought to be empty except perhaps for the subject. While it helps if others have not been in a search area before the dogs, a dog team can be sent in once 15 minutes has elapsed from other search teams vacating the area, no matter how many people were previously there. If other searchers cannot be avoided, try at least to keep them downwind of the dogs.

 

[mercury]

Mark Harrison.

Air-scenting dogs track the generic human scent, not the individual and unique one.

Harrison was outlining the weekor so searches with dogs around PDL. I dont think  the same type of dogs were used to trace the child's movements from 5a.

At about 23.00 the extra teams that had been requested for reinforcement arrived (Officer Rosa with Oscar and Officer Martins with Fusco, both from the search and rescue unit and Officer Fernandes with Rex and Zarus from the tracking team).

After the officers had been updated about facts relating to the disappearance, they tried to reconstruct the route the girl might have taken with the two tracker dogs. For this purpose the dogs were given a blanket to sniff, provided by the parents, which had been used by Madeleine.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/GNR_SNIFFER.htm

[ferryman]

Harrison was outlining the weekor so searches with dogs around PDL. I dont think  the same type of dogs were used to trace the child's movements from 5a.

At about 23.00 the extra teams that had been requested for reinforcement arrived (Officer Rosa with Oscar and Officer Martins with Fusco, both from the search and rescue unit and Officer Fernandes with Rex and Zarus from the tracking team).

After the officers had been updated about facts relating to the disappearance, they tried to reconstruct the route the girl might have taken with the two tracker dogs. For this purpose the dogs were given a blanket to sniff, provided by the parents, which had been used by Madeleine.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/GNR_SNIFFER.htm#p13p3517

I can't be bothered to find it again, but I have done before.

Somewhere in the GNR dog-handler report is an account of a debate the handlers had about whether it would actually be worth giving the dogs something of Madeleine's to sniff to see whether they could pick up her scent and track it.

The mere fact of that debate illustrates that these were not dogs trained to track the individual and unique scent.

Dogs trained to do that can't work any other way.

So the debate would not have been necessary.

They were right to try.

But the attempt was always doomed to fail.

[G-Unit]

That part is confusing, Pegasus. Surely to turn right, the dog + handler must have been walking UP RdM?

I have always taken the coloured diagram of the route as correct, but having looked at the statements my opinion now is that the dog emerged from the pathway between the apartments and the Tapas area and turned left towards the main road at the top. Then he crossed over and turned right. So he went up the street, then crossed over and came back down again towards the parking area. He then sniffed around the base of a lamp post, of which there are two; one almost opposite the pathway and one opposite the Tapas entrance.

It says; voltando a esquerda which roughly means 'back left', not right. Right is direita, which is what he did when he reached Block 6 after crossing the road. substitute 'left' for 'right' below and it makes sense.

He turned right; in the direction of the aforementioned apartment and headed toward the main road. There, he crossed the street and next to the wall of block 6, turned right, and headed toward the contiguous parking area.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/P3/03_VOLUME_IIIa_Page_763.jpg

[ferryman]

At about 23.00 the extra teams that had been requested for reinforcement arrived (Officer Rosa with Oscar and Officer Martins with Fusco, both from the search and rescue unit and Officer Fernandes with Rex and Zarus from the tracking team).

After the officers had been updated about facts relating to the disappearance, they tried to reconstruct the route the girl might have taken with the two tracker dogs. For this purpose the dogs were given a blanket to sniff, provided by the parents, which had been used by Madeleine.

(GNR dog-handler report)

What would be the point of search-and-rescue dogs trained to track an individual and unique scent?

[G-Unit]

(GNR dog-handler report)

What would be the point of search-and-rescue dogs trained to track an individual and unique scent?

Two sorts of dogs were used;

Sargeant Silva - Dog: Timmy
Officer Cortez - Dog: Sacha
Officer Sousa - Dog: Kolly/Cookie
Officer Rosa - Dog: Oscar
Officer Martins - Dog: Fusco
Officer Fernandes - Dog: Rex/ Zarus

Officer Fernandes with Rex and Zarus from the tracking team)

they tried to reconstruct the route the girl might have taken with the two tracker dogs. For this purpose the dogs were given a blanket to sniff, provided by the parents, which had been used by Madeleine.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/GNR_SNIFFER.htm

Officer Fernandez. however, tells us he was given a towel;

On the 4th of May of the current year, around 22H30, he was asked to use the dogs in conjunction with a search that attempted to retrace the steps taken by the missing minor. His role was to use the dogs' skills by allowing them to sniff a towel which had supposedly been used by the minor in question.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/PEDRO_ESTEVES.htm

If was these two tracker dogs who took the route described (left from apartment, left to passageway, left up the road then right twoards the parking area etc.)

[mercury]

I can't be bothered to find it again, but I have done before.

Somewhere in the GNR dog-handler report is an account of a debate the handlers had about whether it would actually be worth giving the dogs something of Madeleine's to sniff to see whether they could pick up her scent and track it.

The mere fact of that debate illustrates that these were not dogs trained to track the individual and unique scent.

Dogs trained to do that can't work any other way.

So the debate would not have been necessary.

They were right to try.

But the attempt was always doomed to fail.

The discussion was about the ability to track when days had passed

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/GNR_SNIFFER.htm

2nd entry

Indeed, the police differentiated in that report between search and rescue dogs and tracker dogs.

[Angelo222]

Two sorts of dogs were used;

Sargeant Silva - Dog: Timmy
Officer Cortez - Dog: Sacha
Officer Sousa - Dog: Kolly/Cookie
Officer Rosa - Dog: Oscar
Officer Martins - Dog: Fusco
Officer Fernandes - Dog: Rex/ Zarus

Officer Fernandes with Rex and Zarus from the tracking team)

they tried to reconstruct the route the girl might have taken with the two tracker dogs. For this purpose the dogs were given a blanket to sniff, provided by the parents, which had been used by Madeleine.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/GNR_SNIFFER.htm

Officer Fernandez. however, tells us he was given a towel;

On the 4th of May of the current year, around 22H30, he was asked to use the dogs in conjunction with a search that attempted to retrace the steps taken by the missing minor. His role was to use the dogs' skills by allowing them to sniff a towel which had supposedly been used by the minor in question.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/PEDRO_ESTEVES.htm

If was these two tracker dogs who took the route described (left from apartment, left to passageway, left up the road then right twoards the parking area etc.)

Correct, they brought in a second team of more specialised scenting dogs after the ordinary tracker dogs had been deployed.

[misty]

I have always taken the coloured diagram of the route as correct, but having looked at the statements my opinion now is that the dog emerged from the pathway between the apartments and the Tapas area and turned left towards the main road at the top. Then he crossed over and turned right. So he went up the street, then crossed over and came back down again towards the parking area. He then sniffed around the base of a lamp post, of which there are two; one almost opposite the pathway and one opposite the Tapas entrance.

It says; voltando a esquerda which roughly means 'back left', not right. Right is direita, which is what he did when he reached Block 6 after crossing the road. substitute 'left' for 'right' below and it makes sense.

He turned right; in the direction of the aforementioned apartment and headed toward the main road. There, he crossed the street and next to the wall of block 6, turned right, and headed toward the contiguous parking area.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/P3/03_VOLUME_IIIa_Page_763.jpg

Thank you so much for that, G-Unit. I think it may be necessary to re-translate the whole statement. It is possible that everyone has been looking at the wrong car park & lamppost. I wonder who drew the diagram showing the path of the dogs?

[Brietta]

I can't be bothered to find it again, but I have done before.

Somewhere in the GNR dog-handler report is an account of a debate the handlers had about whether it would actually be worth giving the dogs something of Madeleine's to sniff to see whether they could pick up her scent and track it.

The mere fact of that debate illustrates that these were not dogs trained to track the individual and unique scent.

Dogs trained to do that can't work any other way.

So the debate would not have been necessary.

They were right to try.

But the attempt was always doomed to fail.

I think everyone is agreed that the GNR dog teams covered a lot of ground and did an excellent job; but is there a report of their searches being used by the Amaral investigation?

I can only see requests for information from the Rebelo investigation.

[G-Unit]

Thank you so much for that, G-Unit. I think it may be necessary to re-translate the whole statement. It is possible that everyone has been looking at the wrong car park & lamppost. I wonder who drew the diagram showing the path of the dogs?

The UK media. I always assumed it was from the files somewhere. It shows the dogs as entering the car park, but the officer's statement doesn't actually say that. Here is a shot showing the two lampposts;

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Luz+Ocean+Club/@37.0884519,-8.7306687,3a,75y,40.1h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s9N1CA4jZtusxNQGhMJoLAQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D9N1CA4jZtusxNQGhMJoLAQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D33.88921%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0xd1b313da147a849:0x563016c8decffc18!6m1!1e1

[ferryman]

Rex and Zarus were the dogs identified as from the tracking team, which (yes, tracking is supposed to be of the individual and unique scent).

And yet ...

At about 23.00 accompanied by a PJ inspector, the searches were begun. After Rex was given the girl's clothing to sniff, he began to search on the ground floor of block 5 and when he passed the door of apartment 5 A (the place the girl had disappeared from) according to his handler, officer Fernandes, the dog altered its behaviour, sniffing with greater intensity than he had done before. Apartment 5J of the same block was also checked as the dog had been more agitated than before as if there were a very strong strange odour there. It was stated that this apartment had been unoccupied for some time. Afterwards, the same kind of search was carried out using the dog Zarus which in general terms showed the same behaviour in the same places as Rex had done.

It was only when all the searches of the apartments in blocks 4 and 5 were complete, that the behaviour described above was registered. It is certain that this kind of work does not correspond to the area that these dogs were trained in, but given that these types of dogs manage to discriminate a specific odour from others, although it could be a remote possibility that they related the odour of the missing girl with a possible location where she could have been.

I think Mark Harrison knew what he was talking about when he said the Portuguese deployed air-scenting dogs ...

[G-Unit]

Rex and Zarus were the dogs identified as from the tracking team, which (yes, tracking is supposed to be of the individual and unique scent).

And yet ...

I think Mark Harrison knew what he was talking about when he said the Portuguese deployed air-scenting dogs ...

Cite?

[ferryman]

Cite?

Provided in what you didn't quote

[G-Unit]

Provided in what you didn't quote

I thought we were supposed to provide references to base our allegations on? I found something where he refers to air-scenting dogs, and he's right. The searches he is describing were carried out using the search and rescue dogs. He isn't describing the searches carried out by Fernandes and his tracking dogs though. I await your cite showing where he mentions those searches.

The search was split into 3 zones radiating out from Praia Da Luz in a northward direction. The first zone extended 3km to the EN125 road at Espiche. W?hin this zone, sectors were drawn using the natural boundaries that exist and included the entire village. Officers were briefed and debriefed before and after deployments and records of activity collected. Each sector was repeatedly searched on 3 separate occasions over the 7 days using officers conducting line searches and supported by air scenting dogs.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARK_HARRISON.htm