K9 Teams
K9 teams are certified by nationally recognized search organizations in addition to team training requirements prior to becoming a deployable asset. Our focus as an organization is to develop trained and qualified live-find K9 teams.
Our K9s specialize in Wilderness Area Search. Unlike tracking dogs that follow a specific scent trail, Area Search K9s work off-leash using airborne scent to detect any human presence within their search area. This makes them ideal for covering large spaces quickly.
K9 Vada & Tara
NASAR Certified
Vada, named after the main character in the 1990s movie My Girl, is a 5 year old Wilderness Area/ Air-Scent K9. Vada specializes in hasty searches and working through complex scent pools (i.e., thick brush/wooded area, rural buildings, creeks, contaminated areas). Her favorite toy is a soft frisbee.
K9 Doc & Aric
In Training
K9 Doc, named after Doc Holiday, is a border collie mix currently training to be a Wilderness Area Search K9. He really enjoys large areas where he can run, but also enjoys complex problems, especially inside buildings.
Doc's reward of choice is frisbee.
K9 Mac & Tara
NASAR Certified
K9 Mac, short for MacGyver, is a 2 year old wrecking ball that lives for Wilderness Area Search. He moves like lightning, and covers area just as quickly. When the team has new volunteer hiders, they often comment that they can hear Mac coming long before he finds them.
Mac's toy of choice is a tug, and he loves a strong tug partner. There has not been a team training yet that Mac has not decorated our clothes with dirt and slobber!
K9 Echo & Holly
In Training
K9 Echo is the youngest dog on the team. Together, Echo and Holly began their SAR journey in 2025 and they're growing very quickly! You can count on Echo for a round of zoomies the first time out of the car, but she's all business when it's time to work. Echo is still working out her favorite toy, but her current choice is a furry ball on a bungee.