Why training support is our top Priority

DEDICATED People 

Handlers, trainers, and support teams spend countless hours of personal time and tens of thousands of dollars developing mission ready K9 teams, often with little to no support from government agencies. They do this simply for the chance to help others impacted by disaster.

PRovide opportunities

Disaster K9 teams must train for the worst conditions in order to ensure they are ready for any situation they might face. This requires travel and exposure to new areas and environments on a regular basis. Rental of existing training sites is often expensive, and new sites are often difficult to obtain.

Real-world training

Access to full-scale, scenario-based training is extremely limited due to the overwhelming amount of equipment and financial resources it takes to mimic a true disaster deployment. The ability to participate in these types of unique opportunities is the only way to ensure true preparedness.

Increase use of K9 Teams

Search dogs are often an under utilized resource during a response. This is due to the lack of complete understanding by local, state and federal agencies of the exact capabilities of the search dog teams. Education and increased preparedness will improve the likelihood that more K9 teams will be deployed.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

  • Increased access to quality training opportunities by hosting events and partnering with other organizations who offer quality training experiences.
  • Logistical support in the form of equipment and supplies to organizations that provide training opportunities to search dog handlers.
  • Scholarships to award K9 handlers the opportunity to attend training events across the country.
  • Investigate techniques and technologies that can improve the health and capability of K9 search teams.
  • Coordination of novel training spaces to organizations that provide training opportunities to search dog teams. 
  • Financial resources for equipment and medical care to help alleviate the financial burden volunteer handlers incur with the training and care of search dogs.
  • Support to events that raise public and governmental agency awareness of the invaluable and unique service that search dogs provide to humanity.