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Sophie The Canine In Fight Of Her Life

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Carole Dickey

In The Loop

Published: June 24, 2008

Updated: 06/24/2008 11:39 am

LAND O' LAKES - There is a heroine in Pasco County who needs help from the community she has served for six years.

Canine Sophie, a Labrador retriever, has been a hero many times, sometimes finding a body, which allows the victim's family closure, and sometimes finding evidence used in court to send a killer to jail. She's good at what she does because Sophie is a forensics specialist.

Although she can follow a scent to its source with a speed many have found impressive, there is one evil she can't track to its source.

Sophie has cancer.

Sgt. Troy Fergueson, a member of the K9 Forensics Recovery Team and Sophie's owner-handler, remembers the day, May 5, when he learned Sophie had transitional cell carcinoma, a cancer in her urethra.

"The doctors gave her two options — three months to live with medication that would help keep the tumor from growing as fast, or experimental surgery at the University of Florida in Gainesville," Fergueson said. The surgery and follow-up radiation treatments would cost $13,000.

There was no question which option Fergueson would choose. He got Sophie from a kennel when she was 7 weeks old and could fit in his jacket pocket. Now, 7 years old and weighing in at 70, hitching a ride in "dad's" pocket is not an option. Just as Sophie takes up more space in the living room, she also claims a huge space in the hearts of Fergueson, his wife, Laura, and their 6-year-old son, Chris, a southpaw slugger for the White Sox in the Shady Hills Little League.

"We're going to have the procedure to save her life, because you might as well ask me do I want to put a family member away or do I want to raise $13,000," Fergueson said. "I can't impress how important this dog is, not just to my family because she's my little girl, but also to the community."

Fund For Sophie Established

To help with the medical costs, the canine team has initiated the Save Our Sophie Fund, which accepts contributions, all tax-deductible, from the community.

Sophie loves to work and has had many opportunities through the years. She has participated in searches across Florida, assisting other agencies, including many sheriff's offices, the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and others.

One dramatic story involved a drowning victim in Jasmine Lake. When they brought Sophie to the site, family members were standing on the bank. Sophie swam to a spot, alerted and swam back to the shoreline.

"We later recovered the victim in the same location where Sophie had alerted," Fergueson said. "I recall members of the family on the shoreline hugging and petting Sophie. Even though when we are called out the worst is presumed, part of our job is closure for the family."

He recalled the time Sophie alerted on the door of a car that had been impounded and was at a salvage yard. Sophie identified the car by smelling the residual scent of a slaying victim who had been transported in the car to a burial site.

Because Sophie is not cross-trained to do forensics and drugs, bombs or arson, but rather is a specialist in forensics, her evidence stands up in court.

"She lives to work, and the doctors give her an excellent prognosis that she'll survive. If she does, she'll go right back to search work," Fergueson said.

Her life expectancy is about 16, and she could expect to work until she's about 12, he said.

The canine forensics team was founded after Sept. 11, 2001, when Fergueson and others wanted to help and use canines, and realized the need for dogs trained in forensics. Dogs are carefully selected and seem to possess the drive to search and enjoy working.

They must complete basic and advanced obedience training before forensics is introduced to their agenda. In forensics, they are trained not only to detect residual human remains, a lingering cadaver scent, residual blood and buried human remains, but also to ignore other scents. The dogs are trained to search in buildings, the wilderness and water sites, crime scenes, natural disasters and other sites. The team does not charge for its services.

Dogs Help In Lake Search

The sheriff's office in Fort Myers wrote to thank the team when their dogs assisted in the underwater recovery of a cadaver at Miromar Lake. Two people drowned when their vehicle was driven into the lake, but only one victim was recovered. The dogs narrowed the search to a smaller area of the lake.

"Divers searched the area and located the second victim," wrote Maj. Jeff Taylor. "The family of the victim was present at the lake and was certainly suffering because they believed that their loved one had drowned. Their suffering was compounded by the fact that their loved one had not been recovered from the lake. Without the assistance of K9 Forensics Recovery Team Inc., the second victim might not have been recovered for several more days."

For information on Save Our Sophie or the K9 Forensics Recovery Team, go to www.k9forensicsteam.com. Donations also can be mailed to Save Our Sophie Fund, c/o The K9 Forensics Recovery Team, P.O. Box 743, Port Richey FL 34673.

"I can't impress how important this dog is."

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