VERMONT SEARCH AND RESCUE K9

Vermont Search and Rescue K9, Inc. (VSARK-9) was incorporated in 2006.  We were granted 501(c)(3) non profit status by the IRS in 2007.  We are a committed to providing skilled, certified canine search and rescue teams for missing person emergencies (non-criminal) within Vermont.

We are a small team in a building phase. Our current members have been training together since we founded and are expected to be certified and fieldable by mid-summer 2008. We are now looking for a few individuals with or without dogs to help build out our membership. We encourage those interested to review the What is Involved? page.  An application can be found on the Join VSARK-9 page.  You do not need to have a dog, since there are other duties that need to be filled. There are positions for Field Personnel as well as for Communication Personnel who will stay at base camp during a search and track each team in the field. We have an Associate Membership category for those who wish to assist in a significant way but not as certified field members. Please contact us at info@vsark9.org any questions you might have. 

VSARK-9 responds to only to those agencies in Vermont which have statutory jurisdiction for missing and lost persons. We do not respond to private requests nor do we respond to requests for missing pets. Our dogs are trained to indicate on human scent only and are trained not to respond to any animal scent.   

We currently have German Shepherds, a flat coated retriever and an Australian Blue Heeler.  Many breeds can be trained for search work.  The largest group of potential candidates is the herding group.  These would include Labrador retrievers, Golden retrievers, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. The sporting group also offers good potential candidates.  This would include German Shorthair Pointers. Many excellent SAR dogs are mixed breeds.  What is important is that they demonstrate the desire to do this work. All VSARK-9 dogs are required to have either their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) or their Therapy Dog International (TDI) supporting the need for sound temperament. 

Our members carry certifications in: 
 

* Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200 & 700(FEMA)

* SOLO Wilderness First Aid (WFA)

* Managing the Lost Person Incident (MLPI) (NASAR)

* Outdoor Emergency Care

* Adult, Child and Infant CPR

* Crime Scene Preservation

* Canine First Aid

* Sartech III (NASAR)

* Fundamentals of Search & Rescue (NASAR) 
 

We have members who are licensed as paramedics, are licensed amateur radio operators with RACES-ARES (emergency services),  and are ski patrollers during the winter months. 
 

VSARK-9 trains and certifies with outside law enforcement professionals.  While some SAR teams do an excellent job of evaluating their own resources, we believe that by using law enforcement K-9 trainers, we will be able to provide to state agencies, a level of professionalism beyond “in-team” certifications.  We also feel that this helps to facilitate better inter-team relationships.  Those dogs training for land cadaver will be required to certify with either IPWDA, NAPWDA or another nationally recognized law enforcement certifying organization. 
 

 Contact Information: info@vsark9.org