White River Township Fire Chief Jeremy Pell plays with K9 Rosie after training Wednesday at the White River Township Fire Department Headquarters at Station 53 in northwestern Johnson County.
Rosie is nosy, and one of these days, that’ll come in handy.
The newest member of the White River Township Fire Department is certified in search and rescue, and is so inquisitive she’s earned herself the nickname “Nosy Rosie.”
She is constantly by Fire Chief Jeremy Pell’s side, and has virtually unfettered access to White River Township Fire Department’s administrative offices at Station 53 in northwestern Johnson County.
Rosie Grace, a three-year old Shepard mix, is one of the department’s newest hires, and is part of the department’s new Search and Rescue K9 program. K9 Rosie has had quite a journey since she was rescued more than a year ago, Pell said.
Rosie’s story begins in September 2020, when she was found tied to a tree in White River Township with a note in a bottle that was tied to her collar. Her owner had lost their job due to the coronavirus pandemic and was no longer able to give Rosie the home she deserved, the note read.
Pell caught wind of Rosie and immediately wanted to adopt her. He contacted Johnson County Animal Control. One of his previous dogs, which was also certified for searches, had died. Another was aging, he said.
“In passing, I was telling a friend of mine … ‘If God really means for me to do this, I wish he would drop a dog in my backyard,’” Pell said. “That afternoon, there was literally a dog dropped in Johnson County 10 minutes from my house.”
Pell met with Rosie and introduced her to his dogs and it seemed like a good fit. Now, she is Pell’s dog, as well as a certified rescue dog, which is especially important considering the number of searches local first responders responded to last year.
Throughout 2021, Johnson County first responders were called to 18 urban searches and six Project Lifesaver runs, most of which could have benefited from having a search and rescue K9 on the team. Project Lifesaver is a search and rescue program designed for “at-risk” individuals who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering from home, according to the fire department.
“All the stars aligned and it has all worked out for her to end up as a certified rescue dog in Johnson County,” Pell said.
Since he adopted Rosie, she has undergone numerous rounds of training. The first few months were getting her used to Pell’s family and other pets, along with basic obedience training.
Then came the search and rescue training. Over the last year or so, Rosie has done scent-specific trailing training, during which a search dog smells an item belonging to a missing person and goes and looks for them based on the smell. She also has done human remains search training, and in December, completed a 54-hour Canine Advanced Search class with the Rhode Island State Police, one of the premier agencies for search and rescue training, he said.
Pell did all the training on his own time, with help from the department at times. Also, Rosie is also certified through the International Police Work Dog Association to do human remains searches, he said.
Rosie continues her training today, including with some of the department’s volunteers.
Liam Price, a former intern turned volunteer, helped teach Rosie new tasks, and has even taken part in a practice search for Rosie. During the search, Rosie searched for a missing person, portrayed by Price, he said.
In Rosie’s downtime, she roams around the station and meets with everyone. Sometimes Price plays tug-of-war with her. She can get a little rough, but it’s a good time, both Price and Pell said.
“She loves coming in (here) in the morning. Her first lap is to see who’s here and get loved on. She’s particularly fond of lunch time — that’s the time she’ll leave me and she’ll go sit with whoever is eating lunch,” Pell said.
Rosie is one of the first — if not the first — search dog of her kind for the county. Area police agencies have K9s, but they work in different, more specific areas, compared to what Rosie does as a certified search and rescue dog, he said.
Rosie has not yet been dispatched to take part in a local search, but has been utilized through Indiana K9 Search and Recovery, a nonprofit that provides missing persons search and recovery services to law enforcement agencies and community members. She can also be utilized across the county collaboratively, and as a statewide mutual aid partner with Pell, the department says.
Whenever the time does come, she’ll be ready. She has exceeded his expectations in every way, Pell said.
“You always worry about, when you rescue a dog, how they are going to fit in,” he said. “She has far exceeded my expectations and is a loving companion, friendly to other people and dogs.”
Rosie has also been utilized for education programs at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Rosie also helps the department with some of its other teams. White River Township Fire has a structural collapse rescue, and also supports operations for the county dive team’s top water rescues, Pell said.
Later this year, the duo will attend a water search and rescue class for certification as well, he said.
What makes Rosie special in Pell’s eyes, is that she is what she is. She has a wonderful spirit, regardless of her breed, which is up for debate. Rosie is believed to be a Shepard mix, but Pell and Price both say there’s a chance she could be a Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix.
“Human beings have such a wonderful connection with dogs anyway, (and) Rosie and I and Liam have built on that loving connection she has and taught her that finding other people is a fun game,” Pell said.
“She’s got a purpose. She’s going to make a difference in someone’s life, more than she has already. She has already made a difference in my family’s life.”
Price has an interesting theory about how Rosie got to where she is today.
“Why did God create ‘Nosy Rosie’?” he said. “Because Nosy Rosie has something to offer this world, and that is being a search and rescue dog.”
