Cuddlecat and those claimed alerts.

[Brietta]

Eddie didn't alert in that area until CC was added there. It's not rocket science. The only change was CC.

1. You bring the dog to an area he has searched and has shown no interest.

2. You add the suspicious item to that safe area (toy is hidden but cupboard slightly open for any scent).

3. This time the dog changes behaviour in that area and alerts.

4. What is your conclusion?

That would have been a valid argument had the dog not already ignored cuddle cat (apart as a toy) as demonstrated when he walked past it when it was lying on the floor.
We have also seen it in reverse action with Eddie's one and only 'alert' in the garage.  This was confirmed by forensic examination of the key fob.

There was no forensic examination of Cuddle Cat.

Therefore, you can believe what you like, but there is no justification for an allegation that the soft toy was the object of interest during Eddie's inspection of the villa.

• Eddie alerted outside the door of the Renault
• Eddie subsequently alerted to the Renault key fob which had been in the door pocket of the car when it had been removed from the vehicle
• Eddie did not alert again to the vehicle once the key fob had been removed
• Forensic testing matched cellular material on the key fob to Gerald McCann

[John]

The more I read about the inspections again the more bizarre they become.  The question really should be, when is an alert not an alert?

Eddie's reactions during the inspections were varied. They consisted of walking or running about sniffing the air, lifting objects and tossing them about, licking objects and finally sitting down while raising his head and barking.  On many occasions the dog was called back to investigate a target already known to the dogs handler, this happened with the McCann's hire car and with Cuddlecat in the rented villa.

Are we to believe or infer that all these goings on represented some sort of alert?

[ferryman]

Eddie never alerted to Cuddlecat but had he done so it would not be surprising given that Kate was a GP and exposed to human cadaver scent as part of her duties.  Little wonder her clothes were contaminated, cadaverine does not wash off.

Can you confirm if the signal given regarding the stuffed toy corresponds to a concrete alert of detection of a cadaver, or a mere trick played by the dog''

The dogs were not taught any 'tricks'. EVRD 'signalled' the toy, which at my request was retained by the Judicial Police for future forensic analysis. I have no knowledge of the results of any forensic analysis on the toy.

Martin Grime, rogatory interview.

[John]

It must be remembered too that cadaver dogs alert to human saliva.  From my experiences of children and soft toys the former tend to suck the latter constantly so little wonder that Cuddlecat had saliva on him.  The rest as they say is history.

And to quote Mr Grime, "...on their own the alerts have no evidential reliability" or to put it another way, it was unknown what Eddie was alerting to, the possibilities are endless.

[Alice Purjorick]

The more I read about the inspections again the more bizarre they become.  The question really should be, when is an alert not an alert?

Eddie's reactions during the inspections were varied. They consisted of walking or running about sniffing the air, lifting objects and tossing them about, licking objects and finally sitting down while raising his head and barking.  On many occasions the dog was called back to investigate a target already known to the dogs handler, this happened with the McCann's hire car and with Cuddlecat in the rented villa.

Are we to believe or infer that all these goings on represented some sort of alert?

Was CuddleCat ever anything other than a device ?

[John]

Was CuddleCat ever anything other than a device ?

a device?

[Alice Purjorick]

a device?

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/device
a method that is used to produce a particular effect:

[Mr Gray]

The more I read about the inspections again the more bizarre they become.  The question really should be, when is an alert not an alert?

Eddie's reactions during the inspections were varied. They consisted of walking or running about sniffing the air, lifting objects and tossing them about, licking objects and finally sitting down while raising his head and barking.  On many occasions the dog was called back to investigate a target already known to the dogs handler, this happened with the McCann's hire car and with Cuddlecat in the rented villa.

Are we to believe or infer that all these goings on represented some sort of alert?

it really is quite simple
the job of the dog is to find evidence as grime has said in the article you quoted. Its important to call the dog back to suspected sites to make sure no evidence is missed....no evidence was found.
the alerts themselves are really meaningless...it is what is physically found that is important

[ferryman]

it really is quite simple
the job of the dog is to find evidence as grime has said in the article you quoted. It's important to call the dog back to suspected sites to make sure no evidence is missed....no evidence was found.
the alerts themselves are really meaningless...it is what is physically found that is important

Not sure about the part I underline.

Problem with calling a dog back is that the dog may get fed up, and that may prompt a false alert.

I would say Grime's modus operandi (in PdL) maximised the chances of just exactly that happening.

[Mr Gray]

Not sure about the part I underline.

Problem with calling a dog back is that the dog may get fed up, and that may prompt a false alert.

I would say Grime's modus operandi (in PdL) maximised the chances of just exactly that happening.

A false alert is of no importance
Missing evidence present is

[ferryman]

A false alert is of no importance
Missing evidence present is

Beg to differ with you there.

The alert to cuddlecat was false.

As were the 'alerts' to Kate's clothes.

To this day, Kate and Gerry live with the stigma that "death-scent" was found on the toy and on Kate's clothes.

I suppose, in other contexts, false alerts may not be quite so important.

[Robittybob1]

Not sure about the part I underline.

Problem with calling a dog back is that the dog may get fed up, and that may prompt a false alert.

I would say Grime's modus operandi (in PdL) maximised the chances of just exactly that happening.

Could the event have been staged to put pressure on the couple to try and force a confession out of them?

[Robittybob1]

it really is quite simple
the job of the dog is to find evidence as grime has said in the article you quoted. Its important to call the dog back to suspected sites to make sure no evidence is missed....no evidence was found.
the alerts themselves are really meaningless...it is what is physically found that is important

A confession would be as good as evidence - right?

[Mr Gray]

A confession would be as good as evidence - right?

better than evidence

[John]

Does anyone still think that Eddie alerted to Cuddlecat and if so, what form was this alert supposed to have taken?