Defying odds and achieving success. A bloodhound search and rescue team
is making a name for itself tonight by finding missing people. The
Clarksville-based dog team could be doing even more right here at home.

Carl
Alexander and his team of search dogs are one of many volunteer groups
who help find missing people. Carl and his team have had a number of
successes lately, most of them in Kentucky.

On tree-lined
trails, in a vast national forest, search teams are looking for a
missing man. 66 year old Keith Bush was last seen on a park bench.

"And he just sat down on the bench and he just walked off," says brother Woody Bush.

Over
200 people searched by land and by air for over 72 hours. Keith Bush,
who has Alzheimer's, was feared dead, but then hope arrived on scene.

Alexander
has an 8 year old bloodhound with a nose for the lost. It didn't take
long. What man couldn't accomplish in 3 days, Zuke did in 22 minutes.
Keith Bush was found alive and airlifted to a hospital.

"If it wasn't for Carl and his dogs, my brother never would have been found alive," says Woody Bush.

"To find somebody alive, there is no better," says Alexander.

Alexander has a team of 14 dogs and 12 volunteers.

"We're always on a search somewhere," says Alexander.

These
dogs can sniff out almost anything. From a tiny piece of evidence, an
important clue, and more than 200 times now, they have helped find a
missing person.

The secret is the dog's nose. Bloodhounds have a
sense of smell that's 1000x better than a human's. We decided to run a
simple test. Could Zuke find my car keys? A quick sniff and he was off.
It was hardly a challenge. The skin cells on my keys were like a magnet.

"You could have thrown them 3 miles," says Alexander.

Although
he lives in Clarksville, Carl and his dogs are used more in Kentucky.
Successes are piling up. Just two weeks before Zuke found Keith Bush,
they found another man alive near Lexington.

With a proven track
record, Carl knows he could be doing more in Tennessee, but it's often
up to local first responders to ask for help.

"It's just another tool in the toolbox to help anybody, try to bring closure to the family," says Carl.

District Attorney General Mike Bottoms is already a believer.

"If you have a situation where you've got a missing person, these people need to be called immediately," says Bottoms.

Bottoms
has used the team on several cases. He's been reviewing their numerous
certifications, and has recently written a letter to the TBI
recommending that this free resource be used across the state.

"You know I have a philosophy," says Bottoms. "When you've got a bad situation, you need all the expertise you can get."

The
team has made some inroads. On this day, they're searching for Holly
Bobo in Decatur County. Carl Alexander knows if his team is called, more
people will be found.

"But I believe if you have a missing person and you do call us, you'll continue to call us," says Carl.

Keith
Bush's brother says the dogs were an answer to prayer. Kentucky has
already figured out who to call. He believes Tennessee will too.

"If you need someone found, and found quick, Carl and his dogs can do it," says Woody Bush.

Regardless, Zuke will keep sniffing. There's a trail to be followed. Someone lost needs to be found.

The
Alexander Bloodhound Search and Rescue Team doesn't charge any money
for the work it does. Instead, the team invests thousands of dollars of
its own money each year. Carl says his payment is finding people alive,
and helping to solve cases.

For news updates follow John Dunn on twitter @WZTVJohnDunnSearch Dogs Search for More Cases - John Dunn