MIDDLEFIELD — Reports of depression among search dogs on the scene at Ground Zero are not accurate, said New York state police technical sergeant Timothy Fischer.

Fischer facilitates the New York State K-9 Training Center in Middlefield and was planning to host an open house to introduce the handlers and their dogs to the community. Instead, they found themselves seeking signs of life and death amid the ashy remains of the World Trade Center.

Fischer set up a command post in a mobile trailer three blocks from the site now known as Ground Zero early in the morning of the day after the attack. The New York State Police were joined in their efforts by Connecticut state police and their dogs, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), an urban search and rescue organization "wisely funded by (Governor George) Pataki early on, when he took office, just in case of natural disaster or terrorism. SEMO people receive up to 800 training hours each," Fischer said. "We're designated as their K-9 team."

"There aren't any other dog schools like ours in the state," said Fischer, who also trains dogs and their handlers from other states. The open house is still postponed because most of the dogs in the unit are at work in New York City, where bomb threats have increased and airport security is ever-tightening. They are working at Grand Central Station, JFK and LaGuardia airports, Javits Center and the landfill on Staten Island where the debris from the September 11 bombing is being taken, he said.

Responding to reports that dogs at the site seemed depressed because the gloomy mood of their handlers affects them, Fischer said, "In theory, dogs do respond to the emotions of their handlers. But we're a quasi-military operation, and we try to keep the emotional effects to a minimum."

The site was chaotic, Fischer said, covered with ash so thick it looked like snow, with hundreds of firemen and other rescuers searching for life.

"Nobody knew what to expect. The truth is, dozens of people showed up with dogs and said they were trained handlers. I later discovered that some of them weren't. Nobody was checking credentials at that time, we were all just focused on doing what we could," Fischer said.

"The dogs need to have a win every twenty minutes in order to keep their spirits and morale up," Fischer said. The dogs know they are searching for something specific, and if they don't find it within that time frame, handlers provide them with the scent to keep them on track. Fischer said that the dogs in his unit and other official K-9 units would not have been depressed at the site because preventative measures are always used.

"I know the Clark Foundation Trustees are so pleased that we were able to provide the New York State police with that facility," said Clark Foundation president Jane Forbes Clark. "And now we see how beneficial it has been to the state. The open house will be rescheduled. They really want people in the community to come and see what it is they do there."

The K-9 facility, Clark said, is interesting and fun. She and Fischer agree that everyone should take the opportunity to visit.