A Closer Look At SAR Dogs

While I anxiously await my pick of an upcoming litter of black lab puppies (due for temperament testing in just a few weeks), I continue to read and attend LaSAR training to absorb as much information as I can. There is so much to learn just about scent theory, that I haven't even been able to dabble in lost person behavior or books about HRD (human remains detection). I still have to get my HAM radio license and renew my Basic First Aid certification from years ago. Luckily I am already CPR certified so that is one area I can check off. In February I will be able to attend the Water HRD course that our lead trainer Lisa Higgins is instructing, but I will have to wait at least another year before I will be ready to take my partner-to-be through the same course.

So for now I live vicariously through my teammates and their partners, and through stories of SAR teams across the nation. I thought this article was a nice tribute to the dogs of 9/11.

The Expendables: Inside America's Elite Search And Rescue Dog Training Center
Rejected by society, these talented misfits are carefully recruited by tactical experts and trained at the nation’s top facility to perform the most dangerous, lifesaving missions. Meet Wilma Melville, who turns rescued dogs into rescue dogs.