Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a search and rescue dog? Tick, a German shepherd from Fort Wayne, Indiana, works in a canine search and rescue group called Indiana Search and Response Team.

A Fateful Meeting

Tick's journey started when he was found by Fort Wayne police officer Jason Fuhrman at the edge of the city. When he found Tick, the German shepherd was eating out of a tossed aside fast food bag.

Fuhrman says, "I got out of my car and made some clicking noises with my mouth, and here came this dog running at me. I began to wonder if I should jump back in my car, but the body language told me he was not a threat. Instead, this dog came over to me, turned around, and sat on my foot. He then began leaning backwards into me so I would pet him."

Mr. Fuhrman is no stranger to dogs. In 1997, he began training his first search and rescue dog. The dog retired and later passed away. "When I stopped training I eventually began getting stressed out, short tempered and just felt like I was missing something." And then, Tick came into his life.

Before bringing him to the shelter, Fuhrman did a few small tests with him, using the dog treats he kept in his car. "I made sure to put a note on the information sheet that if he was not chipped and no one came to claim him I was interested in adopting him." And no one did claim the German shepherd, so Mr. Fuhrman picked him up and brought him home. "I began training with Tick and my stress level dropped dramatically. I found what the missing part of me was, and it was a change I will hopefully never go through again." On December 7, 2013, Tick received his certification from the State of Indiana Department of Homeland Security as an air scent K-9 in live find.