So this isn't exactly related to music but it's certainly off topic.
Many of you know that I'm training my dog Lilly for HRD. (human remains detection)
we spent the weekend out in the woods. 730 acres of woods, streams, a lake and fields. We arrived Friday afternoon and received a briefing on some missing campers.... 6 kids of varying ages and 2 with serious medical problems. We set out searching.... trying to determine what direction they might have gone. It was well after midnight before we were recalled to command. We used air scent tracking and trailing dogs to get some idea where they might have gone.
Saturday morning, we were back in the field with hounds. Saturday afternoon it was determined that several of the kids may not have survived the night and my dog (HRD) was sent out to find the body of one of the girls where the hounds had indicated she might have gone. Hounds only track living people.
So, as we were loading into the transport vehicle, it started raining. We searched the area where we were instructed to search and spent a good hour in the rain, poking through briars and thorn bushes and high weeds. We found nothing and called command for further instructions. They expanded our search area to include a section of woods between the ball fields and the clear cut along the stream. Within 5 minutes of moving to the new section we located the missing victim.
It was a good weekend of training. The outcome of the training scenario was that 2 of the kids didn't make it but 4 did. We continued the live tracking into Sunday morning when we had a dry sunny morning. Out of concern for the actual kids who were playing the parts of the survivors, we pulled them from the woods or didn't put them out to start with in the rain. So the dogs that were tracking them were following at least a 24hr old trail that had endured 5 hrs of rain..... amazing dogs.
This is Lilly. This was a photo from last year's SAREX. I rarely get pics of my dog when she's working because I'm too busy watching her for body language changes that tell me she's "in odor" as we call it. It's subtle and if I'm not paying attention it's easily missed. This pic was taken above the lake and in the general area where she made her find this year. Sunday morning, we did some HRD training. 3 small sources in a wooded half acre section. All dry bone.... which is low odor.... humans can't smell anything at all.... Lilly went first so she didn't have any "dog scent" to follow. I put her in the wooded area and she had all 3 bones indicated within 3 minutes or so. She's come a long way. The first find was 15 seconds into the sector. Very quick and very impressive.
We had a team from Georgia (non-K9) come up and participate, and individuals from several other states as well as a number of people from our own team were there. We always train with K9's so it was good to get out and do some man-tracking on foot. Totally different set of skills. Personally, I'll defer to the dogs on that skill.
Last year was a bad year for our team for a number of reasons.... medical and personal for our leadership, but this year we're hoping things go better and we can train more often. My hope is that very soon, perhaps before the summer gets here, Lilly and I will get the chance to take the NASAR K9 HRD Land certification. That lets us become "operational" on our team.
A lot of valuable lessons learned..... gotta have rain proof gear (gloves were the weak link) ..... you won't find a missing person where they are not, you only find them where they are. Not every search finds someone, in fact most don't, and when you do, the results are not always good....and having an HRD dog.... that's how our searches usually end.
But we had fun. Anyway, that's what we did this weekend. Lilly was one happy critter to get back to the house.... just saying.... so was I.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Very interesting read. I love dogs and respect what they can do. What you're doing certainly falls under the old cliche "It's a dirty job but someone has to do it". This is the definition of a community service. Sad, but also vital. It's gotta be tough to find a child like that.
Very interesting read. I love dogs and respect what they can do. What you're doing certainly falls under the old cliche "It's a dirty job but someone has to do it". This is the definition of a community service. Sad, but also vital. It's gotta be tough to find a child like that.
Bob
fortunately, the bodies we had to find were training mannequins and not deceased kids. we're certainly a different breed because our discussions over a meal involve such topics as the various stages of human decomposition up to and beyond liquifician... the kind of stuff to which my wife would say " do you mind? we are eating here."
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Dogs are SO much smarter than people. I see it with mine every day. Just the things she does in her day to day routine. She can't see yet comes to find me to get things she wants but can't reach, like when she hides bones and they fall to a place where her snout won't fit. Police dogs, service dogs, and yours is a cross between those two, just fascinate me.
Excellent. I voted many, many times for Lily in that competition of 2016
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
I placed it in my amazon cart for the next time I order something. We study and discuss those sorts of things all the time. In fact there are several "body farms" around the country, with one being here in western NC run by a university, that allow HRD dog teams to come and train on various occasions. They study human decomp in a variety of settings.... surface, buried, clothed, wrapped in plastic, warm, cold, dry humid... taking scientific readings and recording everything and documenting it for forensic studies. Morbidly fascinating.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Excellent. I voted many, many times for Lily in that competition of 2016
I certainly appreciate that. They closed it for law enforcement only, for the last one. I think they had a bunch of K9 SAR teams get in and our team was in the top 10 the entire time. They probably didn't expect that. Since the company sponsoring it sells it's services to law enforcement mostly, they wanted a law enforcement agency to win it.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
what impresses me about you is that you are very high-functioning in a bunch of different directions. Whatever you set your hand to do, you do it with all your might. It is a rare individual who absorbs information the way you do. This is just one more way in which you have earned my respect.
It's interesting to me that this forum has a number of such people.
what impresses me about you is that you are very high-functioning in a bunch of different directions. Whatever you set your hand to do, you do it with all your might. It is a rare individual who absorbs information the way you do. This is just one more way in which you have earned my respect.
It's interesting to me that this forum has a number of such people.
Now that right there is a high compliment..... thank you
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I’ve spent only very short stretches of my entire life without a dog and I’m on the porch with our border collie as I type. We love dogs and everything they can do and enjoy reading about their amazing variety of skills.
Thanks for sharing your and Lilly’s story. And cool that she's smiling for the photo
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
I’ve spent only very short stretches of my entire life without a dog and I’m on the porch with our border collie as I type. We love dogs and everything they can do and enjoy reading about their amazing variety of skills.
Thanks for sharing your and Lilly’s story. And cool that she's smiling for the photo
J&B
several team members have Border Collies. they're amazing dogs.
yeah... Lilly is doing a Mona Lisa kind of smile....
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
My two wonderful pups, coming home from a spa day with the groomer. Charlotte Ann (on the left) is a Black Mouth Cur and Bella Donna (on the right) is Black Mouth Cur/American Bulldog mix.
They are strong and lithe, wonderful around kids, and a joy to have in the family.
Yes, dogs really are amazing.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean