Search and Rescue Dogs

Search and Rescue Dogs

Search and Rescue Association Websites

National, State, and Local

National Assocation for Search and Rescue (NASAR) - Dog Section
GREAT website. The fact sheet has good information about the duties of the search and rescue dog team.

American Rescue Dog Association
The first search dog organization in America.

North American Search Dog Network (NASDN)
Provides search dog resources for its members.

UNITED STATES Search and Rescue Task Force - Dogs In Search & Rescue

California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA)
The CARDA provides dog teams for searches throughout CA. It also trains the dogs and organizes tests for search teams.

Idaho Search and Rescue Dogs, Inc. (ISARD)
A non-profit organization that provides search dog teams in the Idaho.

K-9 ONE Search and Rescue of Michigan
Volunteer driven, professionally trained search organization serving the state of Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

Maine Search and Rescue Dogs (MESARD)
Good website with some good photos, like the following:

K-9 Alert Search and Rescue Dogs, Inc.
A Virginia-based association of search and rescue (SAR) dog groups.

Disaster And Wilderness Ground Searchers, Inc. (D.A.W.G.S.)
"Disaster and Wilderness Ground Searchers, Inc. is a volunteer search unit dedicated to the training of search and rescue dogs, handlers and support personnel in order to provide professional and highly-skilled search and rescue teams in the event of emergency response situations."

Chesapeake Search And Rescue Dog Association
"The Chesapeake Search and Rescue Dog Association is mobilized and organized to promote the education, safety and awareness of the general public, as well as provide all possible support for the other search and rescue resources within the region."

Canine Aided Emergency Search & Rescue (C.A.E.S.A.R.)
Nice website. This organization is located in Pennsylvania.

K-9 Response Search & Rescue
An organization made up of highly trained volunteers and their dogs who search out lost persons on land or in water.

For other state associations, go to NetPets - Rearch and Rescue. This has a table of all 50 states with links to the SAR's in the area. Very organized and very good website!

International

Canine Search and Recovery
An international organization made to promote "training, networking and education for search dog handlers."

Southern Ontario Search and Rescue Dogs (SOSARD)
Provides search dog teams in the Pefferlaw, Ontario Canada area.

RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association
This webpage has information about civilian search dog teams in Alberta, Canada. It tells the steps to becoming a member of this team.

Search and Rescue Dogs Australia (SARDA)
This organization provides search dog teams throughout Australia. It has some really nice pictures of the teams.

National Search and Rescue Dog Association (NSARDA)
This is a national organization of all the search and rescue teams in the UK. It was created to have one voice representing the teams, to raise public awareness, to maintain standards, and foster responsible dog ownership.

Search and Rescue dogs In the Netherlands
This is an awesome website with tons of good information about the Netherland dog search and rescue units. They have photos from a search, rescue dog art, even a thesis by Dr. Adee Schoon on how well dogs can identify human scent! My favorite page is the one of photos taken while training a SAR puppy.

SARDA Southern Scotland
This is a very professional website; check out the resources found under "training". "The Search and Rescue Dog Association(SARDA) Southern Scotland is a non profit making, voluntary organisation to help the Police and Mountain Rescue Teams search for missing people."

Other

Avalanche Rescue Dog Websites
Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association
First Special Response Group

www.Copnet.org
A list of resources on K-9 search and rescue units.

FBI working dogs - Search and Rescue Dogs
Cute website with several pictures and descriptions of the SAR dogs working for the FBI. Great for kids!

Journal Articles

Combs, Cathleen A., "Cadaver dog helps bring peace to families of victims" Dog Owner's Guide 2003. [Full Text]

Grandjean D, Sergheraert R, Valette JP, Driss F., "Biological and nutritional consequences of work at high altitude in search and rescue dogs: the scientific expedition Chiens des Cimes-Licancabur 1996," J Nutr. 1998 Dec;128(12 Suppl): 2694S-2697S.

Gwaltney-Brant SM, Murphy LA, Wismer TA, Albretsen JC., "General toxicologic hazards and risks for search-and-rescue dogs responding to urban disasters," J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2003 Feb 1;222(3):292-5. [Pubmed]

Hebard C., "Use of search and rescue dogs," J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1993 Oct 1;203(7):999-1001.

Jagodzinski, Donna, "Grace under Water" Dog Owner's Guide 2003. [Full Text]

Komar D., "The use of cadaver dogs in locating scattered, scavenged human remains: preliminary field test results" J Forensic Sci. 1999 Mar;44(2):405-8. [Pubmed]

Murphy LA, Gwaltney-Brant SM, Albretsen JC, Wismer TA., "Toxicologic agents of concern for search-and-rescue dogs responding to urban disasters," J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2003 Feb 1;222(3):296-304.

Oakes, Amy, "Fire dogs to join department" San Diego Union-Tribune January 25, 2003. [Full Text]

Orlowski-T; Jezierski-T; Bednarek-T, "The behaviour of water-working dogs during a simulated rescue of drowning persons."Animal-Science-Papers-and-Reports. 2001, 19: 2, 157-166; 9 ref..

Schoon GA, De Bruin JC., "The ability of dogs to recognize and cross-match human odours" Forensic Sci Int. 1994 Dec 1; 69(2):111-8. [Pubmed]

Wismer TA, Murphy LA, Gwaltney-Brant SM, Albretsen JC., "Management and prevention of toxicoses in search-and-rescue dogs responding to urban disasters," J Am Vet Med Assoc 2003 Feb 1;222(3):305-10.

Woolf, Norma Bennett, "Search and rescue dogs" Dog Owner's Guide 2003. [Full Text]

Woolf, Norma Bennett, "Parker: Search dog extraordinaire" Dog Owner's Guide 2003. [Full Text]

Books

Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies of Real-Life Search and Rescue Missions by Susan Bulanda.

Search and Rescue Dogs: Training Methods by the American Rescue Dog Assocation. [Available at Amazon.com]

Search and Rescue Dogs: Training the K-9 Hero, Second Edition by American Rescue Dog Association. [Available at Amazon.com]

Search Dog Training by Sandy Bryson.

The following books are available at the NASAR bookstore online:

Cadaver Dog Handbook by Andrew Rebmann, Edward David and Marcella H. Sorg.

Canine SARTECH(tm) Certification Standards developed by the NASAR SAR Dog Section and the NASAR Education Committee.

Canine SARTECH(c) Student Manual by NASAR's SAR dog Section and Education Committee.

First Aid for Search and Rescue and Other Working Dogs by Karen Dashfield, DVM.

Mantrackers and Dog Handlers by Greg Fuller, Ed Johnson and Robert Koester.

On the Trail by Jan Tweedie.

Practical Scent Dog Training by Lue Button.

Ready! the Training of the Search and Rescue Dog by Susan Bulanda (Introduction), Luana Luther (Editor). [Also available at Amazon.com]

SAR Dog Unit Guidelines compiled by the NASAR SAR Dog Section.

Scent and the Scenting Dog by William G. Syrotuck.

Scent: Training to Track, Search and Rescue by Milo Pearsall and Hugo Verbruggen, M.D.

3/12/2007

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine