Scent Evidence K9 Program Helps Vulnerable Seniors Stay Safer at Home

Families living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias will benefit from Scent Prevention Kits to locate missing persons.

Beginning in 2021, Senior Resource Alliance partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice, Orange County Sheriff’s office and scent evidence K9 to help keep Central Florida seniors safe with the “Bringing the Lost Home” project, which uses advanced scent discriminate K9 training to locate missing persons.

Thanks to donations from the Central Florida Foundation and directed gifts from anonymous donors, we introduced Roscoe and Wyatt, two scent discriminate K9s specifically trained to help with missing persons. The Bloodhounds are now full time working members of the Orange County Sheriff’s

SRA expanded the program’s impact in 2023 by partnering with Ocseola County Sheriff’s Office, donating two scent-discriminate bloodhounds Doc and Luke to the department’s K9 unit and 750 scent kits to local families in need, all funded by a grant from the U.S. department of of Justice.  In 2024, two new pups – Duchess and Belle – completed training to join the team!

Although this program is available to all seniors in our community, it is specifically designed for for those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Each year, Senior Resource Alliance and it’s partners provide preparedness and prevention services to an estimated 85,000 seniors living with Alzheimer’s or dementia across Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Brevard counties.

This program has already proven lifesaving: the four specifically trained bloodhounds have located 33 missing persons since the programs launch.

SRA K9 Reported K9 Reported Finds May 2022 – June 2025

Orange County Sheriff’s Office;

K9 Wyatt – 31 Finds

K9 Roscoe/Will-O – 14 Finds

Osceola County Sheriff’s Office;

K9 Doc – 18 Finds

Scent Preservation Kit

“Bringing the lost home” takes a proactive approach to locate missing persons. Scent Evidence K9 uses scientifically tested Scented Preservation Kits to swipe, steal, and store a person’s unique scent so that the K9 responders can use an uncontaminated scent article to search for missing loved ones and quickly bring them home safe and sound.

To request a kit, please contact you local county police or sheriff’s office.

SRA Wins the SE4A
Corporate Partnership Award:

Honoring an agency whose partnerships have made a positive impact on the quality of life of other adults. SE4A selected SRA’s Scent Evidence K9 “Bringing the Lost Home” Project. The partnership with local Sheriff’s Offices is a proactive approach to safeguarding Central Florida seniors and we’re grateful to all our partners for their unwavering support. Thank you to SE4A for this recognition!

City of Kissimmee Honors Senior Resource Alliance with Proclamation:

Thank you to the City of Kissimmee for this recognition, we are extremely appreciative of your partnership and your support of our Scent Evidence K9 program. We’re excited to introduce the newest super-star pups of the SRA family in training to join the Osceola Sheriff’s Department soon: Lola and Nena!