When the collar goes on: Search dogs train on a Hodges farm to bring families answers
On a Greenwood County farm, Cheryl Phillips trains search dogs for the call she hopes never comes.
The moment she clips a bright red tracking collar around Kite’s neck, the Belgian Malinois changes.
Seconds earlier, the 5-year-old dog had been looking for attention, weaving between people and accepting scratches from familiar hands.
But with her collar on, her nose drops toward the grass. Her pace slows.
Every step has purpose.
“When this collar goes on her, if she comes up to you, just ignore her,” Cheryl said before the search began. “If she doesn’t have the collar on, I tell everybody she’s fair game, if you want to love on her.”
Released into a grassy training area on the Phillips’ Hodges farm, Kite began moving through the field, sweeping back and forth as she worked the air around her.
The morning was already hot. Insects hummed above the tall grass and tree limbs while Sam Phillips, Cheryl’s husband and self-described assistant, watched nearby. He had placed a bright yellow case among the broken limbs.
Kite paused along the path, lifted her head and changed direction.
Within moments, she settled into a sit beside a hidden training aid containing human remains, her trained final response once she has located the source.
The dog did not paw at it. She did not pick it up. She simply sat and waited.
“Good girl,” Cheryl called as Kite’s focus broke with her reward of her favorite toy.
For Cheryl, it was not a trick.
It was years of work distilled into a few quiet seconds. And someday, those instincts could help answer one of the hardest questions a family can ask: Where is my loved one?
Raven’s unexpected turn
Long before Kite, there was Raven.
Cheryl bought Raven to accompany her while she traveled on the rodeo circuit, expecting the dog would provide personal protection while she was on the road alone.
There was one problem.
Raven loved everyone.
Instead of becoming the imposing protector Cheryl imagined, Raven became the dog that introduced her to scent work.
Cheryl came across information about scent training in an American Kennel Club publication and began experimenting with Raven.
“I started doing the stuff with her, and it just took off from there,” Cheryl said. “She was just a godsend. I feel like all of them were.”
Raven eventually trained to search for living people and later made a find during a search in Washington state, Cheryl said.
But when Raven was 7 years old, she died unexpectedly. Cheryl eventually brought new dogs to their farm, continuing the work Raven had begun.
The work was a natural extension of a life spent in public service.
Cheryl previously worked for Greenwood City Fire and became a paramedic in 1997. She later completed specialized training as a K-9 medic, learning emergency procedures she could use if a dog were injured far from veterinary care.
Search and rescue became another way to serve. Today, Cheryl operates Carolina K9 Tactical Search & Rescue, training and deploying search dogs from the couple’s Hodges farm.
Cheryl said when she first entered the field, she was told that putting a dog on the ground for one or two searches during its lifetime would be considered an accomplishment, particularly because she did not come from a military or law enforcement background.