Splash the otter, the unlikely hero bringing families closure

You are the most spoiled otter in the world. Mike Hadsell has trained many animals in his lifetime. I had to teach this chicken how to do an agility course. Still, the newest member of Peace River Canine Search and Rescue dive team, Splash, the small-clawed Asian otter, is a first. I guess we're blazing a trail, you know. Splash will help Hadsell and his team find victims in the water, especially where there's little to no visibility. They can follow a scent trail in the water right down to its source. Hadsell got the idea when he read an article saying otters may be the only mammals able to smell and detect odors underwater using special glands in their mouth. You'll see them discharge bubbles and then they suck it right back in and they smell it. So he got Splash from a Phoenix Zoo and has been training him for the past few months. He says this little guy will be able to help when the dogs can't. The dogs can get us into an area where the odor is present, but they can't get us from the boat to the bottom to show us where it is. And while his appearance is stealing hearts, including mine, Hadsell says Splash's incredible sense of smell and his willingness to learn will help countless families going through the very worst. I mean, you never rip a loved one from a family and then they're okay, but we get them back to them. And hopefully we can, with Splash, we can start bringing some closure to more cases and help them out more. Taylor Wertz, Wink News.