Rain darkened a muddy, rock-strewn trail as Trina followed one man’s scent through Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, the police dog found 70-year-old David Arai roughly two miles from his empty rental vehicle, ending a disappearance that had lasted more than 24 hours.
Arai, an O‘ahu resident, often hiked in the area and knew its trails well, his son said. But familiarity did not lessen the stakes. Authorities considered him endangered because of his age and information gathered during the investigation.
Puna patrol officers received notice of the missing man at 12:16 p.m. The Hawai‘i Police Department’s account of the search says its officers worked alongside National Park personnel, with a Hawai‘i Fire Department helicopter assisting from the air.
Trina joined the effort with her handler, Officer Christopher Ross of the Area II Juvenile Aid Section. Ross gave her Arai’s pillowcase so she could take in his individual scent. About an hour later, the 3-year-old Labrador Retriever from Sweden led searchers to Arai on the trail.
Rescuers carried him back to the trailhead, and he was transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for treatment for dehydration and exposure. His discovery became Trina’s second successful missing-person rescue in two months; the previous month, she had located an endangered teenager in Waikoloa.
What a live-find tracking dog does
Trina is trained to locate living missing people, including children and endangered adults, across Hawai‘i Island. That assignment differs from other scent-detection work because her task is to distinguish and pursue the trail of a particular person.
Search dogs trained to find living people generally work in tracking, trailing or air-scent roles, according to an American Kennel Club explanation of search-and-rescue work. Tracking and trailing dogs follow an individual scent, often while working on a long line with a handler. Air-scent dogs search a broader area for human odor carried by air currents rather than following one person’s path.
The distinction matters in a sprawling wilderness search. A scent article such as Arai’s pillowcase can give a tracking team a specific odor to pursue, while the handler watches the dog’s body language and helps the team negotiate the landscape. Weather, terrain and scent conditions continually change, so this work depends on communication rather than simple obedience. A trained dog may need to persist toward scent even when the handler initially favors another direction.
Rewards are part of that relationship, but canine trainer Wayne Silva said Trina’s motivation is not limited to a toy. “I’ve never seen a dog like this. Her nose is just amazing, and when I say she ‘does it for love’ it’s because she actually does,” Silva said. “She likes the toy, but she comes back and just wants to cuddle with Chris, and that’s special.”
After the search, Arai’s son said his father had fallen in love with the dog who located him. Arai would like to adopt Trina if she eventually retires and becomes available.
That hope remains only a hope: no retirement date or confirmed adoption arrangement has been announced. For now, Trina remains a working police dog beside Ross, while Arai’s gratitude waits quietly for a future that may or may not come the possibility of opening his home to the dog who found his way back.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
