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Search and rescue (SAR) is an aspect of emergency services in which federal, state and local agencies coordinate, deploy, and manage trained, certified teams to look for, rescue, or recover lost and/or injured people. Canine search and rescue is one aspect of search and rescue where dogs search for, locate and help to rescue people who have become lost in remote areas.  
 

What is Involved? 
 

Search and rescue is a labor of love for the people and dogs who spend so much of their time training and working together.  It can appear as a romantic activity or something “cool or fun” to do with your dog, but behind all the training is a lot of hard work.  People volunteer their time and money to provide a professional level expertise to help save a human life and return them to their family and friends. Searchers usually hold full-time jobs in fields unrelated to emergency services, and dedicate their free time to training themselves and in the case of K9 handlers, to training their dog. Due to the requirements of the commitment, search work can easily become a second full-time job. 
 

A good guideline for people who want to train a dog for search and rescue is that they should love working with dogs almost more than anything else.  They will be developing the dog’s overall stability, obedience, agility and confidence in a large variety of situations. Search dogs learn to work confidently around other dogs and strangers, often at night; around people wearing uniforms, headlamps, and around vehicles and equipment that generate noise. People who work search dogs cherish the extremely close bonds they develop with their dogs, and love the work.  Most searchers feel that the service they provide with their dogs is the most valuable contribution they can offer. 
 

Vermont terrain is rugged.  You will need to be physically capable of working in this environment day or night, sometimes by yourself. Wilderness search and rescue teams are likely to be deployed into unfamiliar and remote areas to search usually in the middle of the night, and sometimes in extreme inclement weather. Solid navigation skills using a map and compass and GPS are mandatory.  You will learn about search strategy, search management, scent theory and radio protocol.

If you are a canine handler, you will learn about canine learning theories, how to train for obedience as well as how to train your dog to follow human scent.  You will be expected to have a current CPR and SOLO Wilderness First Aid certification and a criminal background clearance.  We also train for drowned victims, so you will need to be comfortable in boats and around water. 
 
 

Are There Costs? 
 

Yes there are costs.  You will need to have a good vehicle and be able to pay for fuel and driving expenses.  If you are a K9 handler, this will need to include a crate for your dog.  There are uniforms and equipment which you will be expected to purchase.  Several pairs of good hiking boots are an essential part of any searcher’s wardrobe.  You will need a backpack, GPS, raingear, headlamp, etc.  If you are a K9 handler you will need a SAR vest for your dog, leashes, reward toys and perhaps a harness.    
 

How Do Non-Canine Members Fit into This? 
 

VSARK-9 places safety as paramount and assigns Field Personnel as support with each K9 team on a search.  Field Personnel provide safety, navigation, radio communication and first aid assistance in the field.  They provide a second set of eyes to scan for any sign of human presence. Advanced outdoor medical training and man tracking  skills are desirable.  
 

How Are the Dogs Trained and Certified? 
 

VSARK-9 dogs are trained in one or more of the following specialty areas:

Trailing, Air Scent, Land Cadaver, and Water Cadaver (locating drowned victims).  Each of these specialties requires its own set of resources and skills, however dogs are often trained in a combination of these. We ask that the dog be certified in Trailing/Air Scent first.  Following that, training in specialty fields such as land cadaver or water may be added.  
 

It is imperative that those resources which offer their services to state agencies train and certify to a high level of expertise. In this regard, VSARK9 has chosen to contract with nationally recognized trainers for their training and certifications. These are the same trainers that law enforcement officials must train and certify under.  VSARK-9 land cadaver dogs are required to be certification by either International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA), North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA), or a similar police certifying organization.  
 

Certification of field skills by organizations recognized by FEMA/DHS is encouraged, supported and in some cases required.  These would include National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR), FEMA (for Incident Command System training), etc. 
 

If after reading this you are interested in joining, please print out the application form on the Join VSARK-9 page and mail it to us.   We look forward to hearing from you.