k931SAR
06-12-2007, 10:30 AM
Hello everyone
My name is Kelly, and my K9 partner, Joe and I are a wilderness air-scent search and resuce team, working in the states of Oregon and Washington.
Joe is a three year old registered black lab who was born to search and rescue work.
We became interested in this field when it became clear to me that Joe, at 12 months, had much more to give than was being tapped by his role simply as my companion. Frighteningly trainable, serious and focused even as a pup, Joe is a dog who thrives on responsibility and needs to be doing something meaningful. When I discovered the importance of SAR dogs to the success of search and rescue operations in the unique environments of the millions of acres of northwest forests I knew I'd found the job for he and I. Avid hikers, we had trekked the Mt St Helens wilderness area since Joe's puppyhood, and crashing through the brush off-trail was his greatest joy in life.
Joe took to SAR training as though he were simply being reminded of something he already knew rather than being taught something he'd never before done, and soared through the program. Our training and certification took 15 months, working roughly 15 hours per week, and we recieved the K9 number that marks us as SAR assets of the local, state and federal agencies responsible for SAR operations in Oregon and Washington 8 weeks ago.
Joe and I have since been on several searches, and look forward to a long and fullfilling career as a K9SAR team.
My name is Kelly, and my K9 partner, Joe and I are a wilderness air-scent search and resuce team, working in the states of Oregon and Washington.
Joe is a three year old registered black lab who was born to search and rescue work.
We became interested in this field when it became clear to me that Joe, at 12 months, had much more to give than was being tapped by his role simply as my companion. Frighteningly trainable, serious and focused even as a pup, Joe is a dog who thrives on responsibility and needs to be doing something meaningful. When I discovered the importance of SAR dogs to the success of search and rescue operations in the unique environments of the millions of acres of northwest forests I knew I'd found the job for he and I. Avid hikers, we had trekked the Mt St Helens wilderness area since Joe's puppyhood, and crashing through the brush off-trail was his greatest joy in life.
Joe took to SAR training as though he were simply being reminded of something he already knew rather than being taught something he'd never before done, and soared through the program. Our training and certification took 15 months, working roughly 15 hours per week, and we recieved the K9 number that marks us as SAR assets of the local, state and federal agencies responsible for SAR operations in Oregon and Washington 8 weeks ago.
Joe and I have since been on several searches, and look forward to a long and fullfilling career as a K9SAR team.