If the Universe Were a Kitchen

If the universe had a kitchen, it would be open night and day. In it there would be a book of recipes. The list of ingredients would be endless. Dark matter, cosmic rays, and celestial dust. There’d be a recipe for everything. Big recipes for the planets and small ones to make hurricanes and rainbows. The stars that twinkle in the sky are the sprinkles atop a vast chocolate cupcake. Swirling like cinnamon rolled into pastry dough are the galaxies. At the beginning of the book, you can find the universe’s recipe for generating gravity. At the center of the recipe, the universe adds my dog. Winnie is my gravity.

Anything which has mass also has a gravitational pull. The more the mass, the greater the pull. Gravity is the force which pulls two objects toward each other. The gravity of all matter originates from the center of the object. The closer two objects are to each other’s centers, the bigger the pull. Stretching the laws of gravitational attraction, this can explain some of what happens when Winnie and I do nose work.

On the eastern boundary of the Rocky Mountain National Park sits the town of Estes Park, CO. A bustling tourist/resort town, the streets are alive with visitors. To hike, witness the autumn leaves turning, and relax in nature. As usual in the last week of September, the sound of bugling elk bulls fills the air.

Gathered in a parking lot outside the Events Complex is a group of K9 Detection Dogs and their handlers. At the pinnacle of their sport, these teams are here to play at the National Association of Canine Scent Work’s Summit trial. NACSW is a sanctioning organization that holds these detection teams to the highest of standards by testing their unique and sharply honed skills, as well as each team’s partnership.

Among the teams gathered is Suzanne, a seasoned handler and her K9 partner, Winnie, a perky Pug/Beagle-mix. Waiting for their turn to show off their talents, this is their chance to prove to themselves they have the stuff it takes to stand with the legends that have gone before them. From inside her pickup at the edge of the SUVs and mini-vans, Suzanne’s stomach is in knots. Surrounded by trainers and professionals, her heart races as she watches the teams getting ready.

Suzanne and Winnie have worked together for years building a bond that is indescribable, unbreakable. They’ve accumulated all the right ingredients; countless hours training with the best teachers, practicing with generous peers, and gaining experiences trialing. Nights spent watching webinars and reading anything about the sport in books and online. Videoing their work, then studying it frame by frame, Suzanne follows the recipe with fervor. When all is said and done, a fine dish’s taste relies on the quality of the ingredients.

Standing side by side in a search or nestled together at night, Suzanne and Winnie pour themselves into the quest for the perfect relationship. In this arena of trust and instinct, the gravity of their connection is undeniable. But is it enough for them to be competitive in a very unpredictable sport?

One by one, the other teams run the search, and Suzanne and Winnie wait their turn. The genuine test lays ahead for Suzanne and Winnie. Their mission: locate as many vessels of target odor hidden within the expansive auditorium—an exercise that requires intense focus and unbroken cooperation. Just moments before the start, Suzanne takes a deep breath. She and Winnie exchange a glance. Winnie, with her eyes steady, gives a silent appeal; trust me.

“Search,” Suzanne whispers, knowing Winnie will search no matter if she cues her or not. Winnie knows her job.

As the timer starts, Winnie moves through the area instinctively while Suzanne moves along in her wake. Watching for any change in Winnie’s body language—a stutter-step, a head lift, a shift in pace or a sharp turn left or right—Suzanne concentrates. These signs could mean Winnie caught the odor. With each deliberate step, Suzanne follows, trying to stay neutral so as not to disturb her dog as she works the odor picture to solve the puzzle. The partners ebb and flow around the area together, two celestial bodies drawn by an invisible force. Working in harmony, they navigate around the objects spread out in the auditorium.

The scent, the telltale odor of the hidden vessel—Winnie catches it. Suzanne feels the tension in Winnie’s body through the lead and waits. Winnie sniffs around a rack of stacked chairs as her excitement increases. Suzanne knows Winnie is working on odor. Winnie makes a short loop over to a table, then circles back to the rack of chairs. Suzanne is confident Winnie is sourcing an odor vessel somewhere on the rack. Then comes the moment to call out to the judge. This is what they have trained for, culminating trust and teamwork, a silent conversation that transcends the term communication.

As Team Winnie continues, the dog’s nose works in earnest, Suzanne’s heart skips a beat. Winnie hasn’t decided. Suzanne wonders; Is the vessel containing the oil infused cotton tipped sticks deep in the stack of chairs? It could be lower on the frame of the rack.

Suzanne must think fast as the clock ticks. Has Winnie done all she can to source an inaccessible hide? Or is odor pooling and trapping on the rack of chairs but coming from a hide nearby? Suzanne calls to the judge.

In that split second before the judge answers, Suzanne and Winnie become lost in their own world. For a moment, they are neither right nor wrong. With intrinsic understanding, they expect nothing but the belief they have in each other. The gravitational pull of their partnership is irresistible; every search they complete seems to galvanize their bond even more.

When their time is up, Suzanne doesn’t think about if they found all the hides. She doesn’t dwell on frustration if they were off target and got a ‘no’ from the judge. Win or lose, they celebrate.

On the way to the parking lot after their search, Suzanne beams down at Winnie, who is looking up with adoration. There’s no need to speak to her dog. Their energetic connection is stronger than the gravity that holds objects to Earth.

Regarding searching K9 detection teams, gravity is an integral ingredient of the sport, but not the way gravity is the reason we have a universe. The recipe is constantly developing. Each time you create it, the universe reveals new flavors and possibilities. Unlike the laws of nature, in nose work, the gravitational pull of the two objects, handler and K9, is not based on mass but on the relationship. Each time you step to the line with your ingredients, you enter the kitchen of nose work, and witness the fascinating power when two objects of unequal mass become equal in gravitational pull.