From Shelter to Service:
Search Dogs Help Save Lives
“While
hundreds of pets were being removed from flood zones in the wake of Hurricanes
Harvey & Irma, search dogs were entering those very same areas to find
people who might have opted to stay behind & were now trapped by rising
flood waters…
…trained
by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). The nonprofit
organization located in Santa Paula, CA recruits & trains shelter dogs
& partners them with firefighters & other first responders to find
people trapped or buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. Most recently 12
SDF-trained search teams were deployed to help in the wake of the earthquake in
Mexico City & Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
What types of dogs excel in the SDF Program?
‘Our trainers
look for extremely driven, toy-obsessed dogs that don’t just want the toy, they
need to possess the toy,’ said Denise Sanders, SDF Communications &
Development Officer. ‘This drive is what carries them through the process of
learning to bark when they smell the scent of a live human—that toy is their
reward & they will do anything to get it!’
The SDF
recently celebrated the grand opening of its National Training Center located
on 125 acres of donated historic ranch land in Santa Paula. The new center
features kennels, beginning & advanced training areas, handlers’
accommodations, classrooms, & offices.
Sanders
said that it takes 8 to 10 months to train a search dog... After anywhere from
8 months to one year, the search team is generally ready to take their
Certification Evaluation (administered either by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) or the State Urban Search & Rescue Alliance). This
certification makes them deployable & ready to respond when the call comes…
When
they’re not on deployment all of the search dogs live at home with their
handlers or at the fire station when their partners are at work.
‘The
dogs and handlers are together 24/7 so they are ready to go at a moment’s
notice,’ Sanders said…”
Vera
Lawlor
Sept.
29/2017
Care2.com
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