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A Police Officer from the K9 unit in Nelson Mandela Bay says that after 27 years in the South African Police Service, nothing gives him more satisfaction than getting closure for grief-stricken families.
These are the words of 45-year-old Warrant Officer Ettiene Gerber who is currently working as a handler in the Search and Rescue team with his third four-legged partner, Misty.
WO Gerber says Misty was only a puppy when she was donated to SAPS by a member of the public who felt that she had the potential to be trained as a K9 dog.
He says he already had a partner, Kojak, who was forced to retire from SAPS after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
WO Gerber and Kojak were inseparable partners for eight years during which time they recovered 250 bodies in the course of their duties.
Gerber and his former partner Kojak
Gerber knew he had to get a new partner and was told about Misty, the German Shepherd pup, who seemed to have all the qualities he was looking for.
As soon as they met, Gerber noticed that Misty showed no aggression towards other animals and humans, and had great agility and grace which is exactly what is needed for a dog to work in search and rescue.
On 14 August 2017, Gerber's family was left devastated when Kojak lost consciousness and had to be put down.
Gerber decided to officially partner up with Misty and together they went to Pretoria for training.
The one-year-old pup was trained to search for missing people in mountains, bushes, forests, rivers and also dams. Misty was also trained to not only find deceased people but also those who are still alive. By the time her training was concluded she could also assist in locating shallow graves and finding exhibits at crime scenes.
WO Gerber says it did not take long for Misty to show her talents when she was instrumental in finding the body of a missing Ironman Athlete in Nelson Mandela Bay in April 2018.
The Gabonese triathlete, David Roger Rene Bellet-Brissaud, who was in Gqeberha to compete in the IRONMAN competition, disappeared from the Paxton Hotel where he and his wife had booked in a day earlier. He left his phone and wallet behind.
The story captivated residents for days and became even more mysterious when CCTV footage in the harbour showed Bellet-Brissaud entering the precinct in the early hours of the morning on the day he disappeared.
The footage showed the triathlete hopping from one chokka boat to another before vanishing.
The K9 unit was called in to assist in the investigation and as soon as Gerber and Misty arrived on the scene, she reacted to a scent in the water.
Thanks to Misty, the body of the athlete, who had been missing for a week, was retrieved from the water.
Bellet-Brissaud committed suicide by tying a tyre to his legs before jumping into the water.
WO Gerber says this was the first big success he had with Misty since they became partners.
He says after that, they had too many adventures to mention, but Misty made headlines again in September last year when she found a father who kidnapped his child in Patensie.
Police searched for them the entire night and finally called WO Gerber.
Misty went sniffling through the orange orchards and soon picked up a scent that led her straight to the father and his toddler where they were huddled between low hanging trees.
Just a few weeks after their successful operation in Patensie, WO Gerber and Misty got involved with the search for a 55-year-old man from Sherwood who left his house and never returned.
It has been nearly seven months since the disappearance of Adriaan Francois Scheepers and the family is now desperate for closure.
Gerber says they were part of an extensive search for Scheepers but still no success was achieved.
Police told Algoa FM News that the search area now stretches all the way to the Van Stadens Bridge on the N2.
Community members have also decided to do another search this coming Saturday and Gerber says he will assist as he has been involved in the case since day one.
Police Spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu says the investigating officer has met with the community leaders organising the search to ensure that all protocols are adhered to and that nothing is done to disturb a possible scent being picked up.
Gerber says some of his colleagues from the K9 unit in East London also offered their assistance in this weekend’s search.
He added that after seven months, all kinds of factors could influence the scent of a deceased person and that weather conditions also need to be taken into account.
Scheepers left his home last year, leaving his only mode of transport, a scooter, behind before switching off his phone.
Gerber says closure to the family is what Rescue Dog Handlers set out to achieve when called to a scene.
"That's the main goal at the end of the day, whether it is a happy ending or a sad ending. There is nothing more rewarding than when your dog finds the missing person. Total job satisfaction,” he said.
