Adolfo saw the familiar emblem on the side of the truck: SEARCH AND RESCUE. Time to go Adolfo thought, and slipped quickly and quietly under the building.

Knowing the smell of death, and the training he received to get excited about it, broke his will and courage to live. He was lucky to have a rescue partner like Delgado, he knew when enough was enough and retired him. It took millions of licks, leading to raw infected patches of skin, to wash death from his fur and some of his memories too.

Adolfo, now shivering in fear, caught snippets of familiar words coming from the visitor:

“sniff landslide forest camp help death search children”

And then his companion:

“Adolfo no cadaver dog”’

Sighing, Adolfo watched the woman’s shoes kick up dust as she walked to her red rescue truck. As the door opened, four paws and a nose hit the ground running. Following Adolfo’s scent, the redhead’s companion sighted him, wedged up in the crawlspace between two supports and dripping pipes, and moved in for the rescue.