SAR INFORMATION AND TRAINING RESOURCES
Understanding and working with K-9 Search and Rescue Teams

This information has been compiled in order to answer two simple questions that have complex answers:
   · For Ground Pounders: What are my responsibilities as a member of a dog team on an assignment?
   · For Command Operations Staff: How do I use the dog team effectively?
Introduction
Introduction...
Within the State of Missouri there are a number of agencies that willingly provide their search and rescue services free of charge to Law Enforcement, Fire Departments or any other Emergency Management Agency. That means there are several resources that are always willing to help your team/organization find someone that is missing.

These teams are available 24 hours a day, 365 day a year to respond to local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as other specific public agency (park & fire department) requests. The handlers and their dog(s) are a team. The dogs are owned by the handlers; they train, certify and search together as a team. All K-9 teams work continously to keep their trainings and experience levels as high as possible and are required to be evaluated every 2 years to keep their credientials up to date. Only well trained K-9's, that the responding teams designate, will be deployed on a search to ensure that the resources on a scene are capable of perfoming in those conditions/situations.

Information in this section was based on the information presented by the Sonoma County Search and Rescue Team on their website and modified/updated by Chris Diamond of SHSAR.