You'd be incorrect. At my agency, it nothing is found, it's documented. It's the same way with all out handlers. I obviously can't speak for all agencies, but that's the way it works with us.
As far as using dogs, I've only done it a handful of times. There was once, where I thought I smelled something and the dog confirmed it, and another when I thought I smelled something, and the dog told me to check my sense of smell. I don't like the idea of "thinking" I "might" smell something, and doing a search. I want to know, and a dog is invaluable in that regard. You can trust that there are frequent times when a person "thinks" they smell something, go into a car, and are wrong. You can be upset with that, but it unfirtunately happens. But a dog put that notion to rest, rather than have an officer that honestly believes otherwise, searches.
