The Bloodhound

The Bloodhound

• Posted by COACH ABBIE 

I watched Brilliant Beasts at the National Geographic Channel and was amazed by the bloodhound's ability to track down a scent even after a few days.

A bloodhound is a gentle dog with a superior sense of smell. Because of its strong tracking instinct, it can be willful and somewhat difficult to obedience train. Bloodhounds are usually trained to be police dogs. In the program, they tested the bloodhound's tracking ability by simulating a shooting incident. Their subject is a bloodhound named "Lou." They made Lou smell the bullet shell left at the scene and started following him as he sniffed his way to the "shooter." As an added obstacle, the "shooter" rode a car and drove around the city before stopping in a beach resort about 11 kilometers from the starting point. The "shooter" then left the car and sat on the sand. Lou followed the path without a single mistake. But as he was getting near the “shooter,” another variable was added to test his focus. They called it the “hotdog test.” Several pieces of hotdogs were lined in the opposite direction to attempt to mislead the dog. But Lou just passed by it and continued to walk towards the “shooter.” Lou got a dog treat for a job well done and the workers doing the test celebrated Lou’s achievement.

Watching the program made me realize that we can follow what Lou did and achieve whatever it is that we desire. Here’s a breakdown of what he did:

1. He had a vision/goal

By sniffing the object, he had a sense of what or who he was after. Humans constantly shed skin cells and the bloodhound can detect as few as one or two cells. For us, we do this by creating a mental picture of whatever it is that we want to achieve. We often call this Vision, though we haven’t seen it, we can sense it. The clearer it is the better.

2. He took action

After sniffing, Lou immediately followed the scent. For dogs, this is purely instinct and is different for us humans. Most people simply dream and visualize. The thing is, unless the vision or goal is pursued, it can never become reality. Thought indeed creates but creation requires action.

3. He remained focused

The hotdogs are really tempting, don’t you think? But Lou wasn’t distracted and continued until he got to the goal. Oftentimes, more distractions come up the nearer we come to our dreams. One of my mentors described it as rolling a rock up on a mountain. The hardest and most exhausting part is the last few steps. But this is where most people give up. So hang in there until you get it.

4. Celebration

Lou was the one who got the treat but the people around him celebrated. That’s how it is with life. You can never know who you can touch, move and inspire with whatever you’re doing. We are all interrelated, our actions impact another whether we are aware of it or not.

Brilliant beast huh? =)