2014-04-15 Vol 8 No 4 - National Search Dog Alliance
Transcription
2014-04-15 Vol 8 No 4 - National Search Dog Alliance
SAR Dog News April 2014 Published by the National Search Dog Alliance Vol. 8, No. 4 The Voice of K-9 Search and Rescue @ n-sda.org Founding members: K-9 Thor, Eileen M. Nobles, Susan Bulanda, K-9 Roo, Leslie Godchaux, Brian R. Hendrickson, Continental Kennel Club, Inc., K-9 River, K-9 Persha, Jan Thompson, K-9 Cali, Peggy Ann Buchman, K-9 Geist April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month CONTENTS Article Computer Alert BOD Mtg Dates Written Test Changes Certifying Handlers & K-9s Elections Testing Prerequisite changes Evaluation dates BOD Mtg Synopsis PA Seminar Report K-9 Eye Exams The Rest of the Story April PODCAST Hero Dog Nominees They Gave All Injured Police K-9 K-9 Cratos Finds Oso Disaster Avalanche Stats Avalanche Report Fall Seminar Instructors Seminar Instructor Profile Kibbles and Bits Trivia Spring Cleaning Salute to Senior Serv. Winner Arson Dog Statue ADA Book Review Last Howl NSDA Income & Expense Training, Seminars Application for Board Atterbury Registration page 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 9 10 12 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 31 33 2014 BOARD MEETING DATES May 1 June 26 - Quarterly Meeting (seating of new Board Members who wish to attend, contact the NSDA Secretary at swolff@n-sda.org COMPUTER ALERT: HEARTBLEED From NSDA webmaster Gary Blocker “Passwords, credit cards and other sensitive data are at risk after security researchers discovered a problem with an encryption technology used to securely transmit email, e-commerce transactions, social networking posts and other Web traffic.” “Security researchers say the threat, known as Heartbleed, is serious, partly because it remained undiscovered for more than two years. Attackers can exploit the vulnerability without leaving any trace, so anything sent during that time has potentially been compromised. It's not known, though, whether anyone has actually used it to conduct an attack.” "But this still means that the little lock icon (HTTPS) we all trusted to keep our passwords, personal emails, and credit cards safe, was actually making all that private information accessible to anyone who knew about the exploit. " Recent releases have been advising to contact your banks, etc. to check to see if they have fixed the problem or in fact know that they were not affected by the problem. Many were not. Check before having to change passwords twice. For further information, see: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/technology/articl e/Passwords-vulnerable-after-security-flaw-found5386933.php SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month WRITTEN TESTS CHANGES For those certifying with NSDA, you will want to make note of the following if you have not already completed your written test requirements. The website has been changed for the Alliance testing process. The test required as a prerequisite to all of the individual discipline tests was previously referred to as the General Written test. It is now called the Discipline Prerequisite test. The cost on our old site was $5.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members. On the new site it shows $10.00 for everyone; however members will be able to enter the members only page in order to receive a coupon code number to enter for a 50% discount. If you have any problems, please contact Norma Snelling at nsnelling@n-sda.org. Bucky says: Nothing is friendlier than a wet dog. SHAMPOOING DOGS It is important to select a shampoo labeled “for dogs.” The pH of canine skin is neutral (7 to 7.4). Most shampoos for humans are on the acid side and are therefore unsuitable for dogs. Do not use human hair dyes or coloring agents on dogs. Page 2 MAKE YOUR CANINE COMPANION SMILE! BRING HIM TO THE OCTOBER 9-12, NSDA FALL SEMINAR Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. Registration form attached to this newsletter. For more information, contact jmeyer@n-sda.org Household disinfectants must never be used on dogs. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin and can cause death. SOURCE: petsWebMD.com IDHS Training facility, Camp Atterbury SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month KUDOS Susan Elshult and K-9 Ebb from Snohomish County, Washington, passed their Land th HRD test on March 29 with flying colors. Susan and K-9 Ebb then returned to work at the Washington mud slide disaster along with other K-9 teams, not only with numerous teams from her own county but from all over Washington State and as far away as Montana. Also certifying/recertifying in Avalanche during the first week of April were Kevin Huggett and K-9 Jett from Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, and Sally Olsen and K9 Skye from Bainbridge Island, Washington. ELECTIONS By Larry Welker May 1, 2014, is the deadline for applications for the NSDA Board of Directors. Interested parties should contact Larry Welker, Nominations Chair, at lwelker@aol.com. Positions open include a Member at Large position, plus one BOD position in Regions 2 and 3. Regions encompass states as follows: Region 1: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Page 3 Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. Region 2: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin. Region 3: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia. Our Board of Directors is a working board and must not be construed as a resume enhancement opportunity. “Being somebody” must be trumped by folks whose focus is “doing something”. Stated another way, we are looking for NSDA Directors that have a “care ethic” balanced with a business background which places results above just the hope for results. Yes, we are a National Alliance of Search Dog handlers but you do not need to be a long time dog handler or trainer to be of significant value to the NSDA Board…….your ability to lead, follow, or get out of the way of an issue/initiative is really more important than just knowing what a PLS is! To apply as a NSDA BOD candidate: 1. You must be a member of NSDA as of March 2013. 2. Complete the attached application and get it to the Nominations Chair, Larry Welker, lwelker@aol.com by 1 May 2014. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month NSDA TESTING PREREQUISITE CHANGE It has come to our attention that the ICS 809 class will not be offered after March 31, 2014. Because it may take us longer than that to change our website, please note that, although it is still on the prerequisite sheet, it is no longer a requirement for NSDA. Page 4 Watch for upcoming certifications in Idaho in April, May and June Water HRD Land HRD Contact: Testing Chair, Jan Frazee at jfrazee@n-sda.org IS-809: Emergency Support Function (ESF) #9 – Search and Rescue This course has been reviewed and is not current with the National Preparedness System. This course will remain available until March 31, 2014, and will then be removed from the Independent Study Program. CERTIFICATION EVALUATIONS Northwest Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, Southwest New York: Do you need a national Area certification for you and your dog? Contact Jan Frazee at jfrazee@n-sda.org. October 7 & 8, 2014 CERTIFICATION TESTING, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Area I & II, Land HRD, Trailing II. Contact: Jan Frazee at jfrazee@nsda.org April Board Meeting Synopsis The Board meeting was held by conference call on Thursday, April 3, 2014. ASTM is seeking NSDA membership on their K-9 Trailing and Air Scent committees. Cam Daggett will represent NSDA on the Trailing Committee and Norma Snelling on the Air Scent one. Camp Atterbury is being considered for Disaster First Responder beta testing. The new website testing program has a name change for the General Test. It is now the Discipline Prerequisite Test. Glitches regarding the specific tests are being worked out. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month The winnings from the Salute to Senior Service contest were approved to be utilized to assist Susan Fleming in getting her Trailing Principal Evaluator status which has been held up for many months. Allotment of unused AKC-CAR grant funds was discussed and a copy of the adjusted budget was requested to be sent to all BOD members before a vote could be taken. Page 5 Jersey, Delaware, and Alabama attended. Teams represented were PA K9 SAR; MidAtlantic Regional SAR; New Jersey SAR; DELMARVA SAR; Northwest PA K9 SAR; Etawah County Rescue Squad and Allegheny MT Rescue Group. The K-9 Standards Committee Chair job description was approved and Janet Yatchek was appointed to the position. Standards of MAT SAR (Alaska) (Indiana) were approved as organizations whose Evaluators accepted by NSDA for its Evaluator and IDHS certifying would be program. Principal Evaluator applications were approved for David Lock in Land and Water HRD and for Stacy Burkhardt in Avalanche. For the complete minutes, see the NSDA website at www.n-sda.org NSDA PA TRAINING SEMINAR REPORT By Susan Fleming/Event Chair and Susan Bulanda, Instructor March 7-9, 2014, the NSDA SAR dog seminar/training was held at Codorus State Park in Pennsylvania. Everyone was watching the weather forecast to see if the Pennsylvania winter snow storms and freezing temperatures were going to stop for the Training Seminar. We lucked out for the weekend and twenty-eight (28) K-9 handlers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, New Sharon Ballweg, Mason Dixon Rescue Dogs, and K-9 Miko getting ready for HRD work. Instructors were Sue and Larry Bulanda for Area Search with Jeff Dentler, Ron Hix and Thomas Bulanda as helpers; Vi Shaffer for Advanced Land HRD; and Ed and Heidi Hajek for Trailing. There were a variety of places to train, including corn fields, large bath houses, an old barn and campgrounds with a assortment of open fields, wooded areas and buildings. All candidates’ applications were scanned and sent to their instructors prior to the seminar. This enabled the teacher to communicate with the handler about any training problems the handler was having. Training exercises were set up to address those problems. Susan Bulanda stated that she could honestly say that everyone made progress over the weekend and had a good time. The commitment and dedication of the instructors made the seminar a great success. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 6 To register between April 1st and 31st, visit http://www.avcoeyeexam.org/2014/animals/ main.shtml. When at the website, you will need to do the following to register: 1) first, check qualifications; 2) next, submit a registration form on-line to receive a confirmation number; (required to receive exam at clinic); 3) finally, you will be provided a list of participating ophthalmologists to call and schedule your appointment. Kevin Fleming (Valley Search and Rescue) and Lucy doing a trail. THE REST OF THE STORY The handlers left the seminar with good advice and training techniques to achieve success in their discipline. It is important for NSDA to have training and certification seminars in many regions of the country and at various times of the year. NSDA members throughout the country can host a seminar for training and/or certification. If you and your team are interested, feel free to contact an NSDA Board Member to learn what needs to be done to have a seminar. FREE SERVICE DOG EYE EXAMS The ACVO National Service Animal Eye Exam event is a philanthropic effort generously provided to qualified service animals by the board certified Diplomats of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Registration for 2014 will open April 1st. Exams will be held in May! The Dog of Montargis, or Murder in the Wood was a 19th-century melodrama, based on the tale of Robert Macaire and his trial-bycombat with a dog. It is immortalized in stone on the mantelpiece of the old castle of Montargis in France. Knight Aubrey de Montdidier was murdered in the forest of the French King Charles V. His killer was not found until Aubrey’s greyhound, Dragon, suddenly attacked a man in public. As was the custom of the day, innocence or guilt was decided by combat. The unarmed greyhound fought the club wielding assailant and won. The murderer was hanged and Dragon immortalized in the book The Dog of Montargis. Sources: Wikepedia, I Love My Dog, The Moral Compass SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 7 ANNOUNCING APRIL PODCAST By Larry Welker The NSDA’s APRIL PODCAST will air live on Sunday, April 27th at 8 PM EDT (7 PM CDT, 6 PM MDT, and 5 PM PDT). Our Subject Matter Expert this month will be Dr. Sharon Jensen. Dr. Jensen is a veterinarian from Washington State and she has offered to share her knowledge about working dog medical issues specific to the Golden Retriever and other common medical issues found with all K-9 SAR working dogs. To listen and participate in the PODCAST, go to: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/21763 on Sunday evening April 27, 2014 at 8 PM EST [7PM CST, 6 PM MST, 5 PM PST]. Once at the Talkshoe site, you'll see that you have three ways to participate and/or listen to the program. First, you can phone into the show. The moderator will have your phone muted initially but if you want to ask a NSDA presenter a question, hit *T or *8 on your phone or text a message that you'd like to speak. Second, you can log onto the program, listen to the show on your computer, text your questions into the moderator and he will pass your questions to our guest speakers. And third, if you can't tune into the live show, you can download the PODCAST after the program and listen to it at your leisure. You can also go to iTunes and enter ‘NSDA’ as a search term. You will then be able to download the PODCAST or even subscribe to the Programs as a subscription service. The programs remain on the website indefinitely. If you can't get to a computer, you can still participate live by calling Talkshoe at (724) 444-7444 and entering the code 21763. GOLDEN RETRIEVERS Golden Retrievers are loveable, well mannered, charming, intelligent dogs. They are easily trained, are devoted and self-assured. They enjoy pleasing their masters and the dogs excel in competitions. Some of the Golden's talents are hunting, tracking, retrieving, narcotics detection, agility, competitive obedience and performing tricks. These dogs also love to swim. Goldens are prone to cancer including mast cell tumors. They are also prone to hip dysplasia, Von Willebrand's disease, heart problems and congenital eye defects. Skin allergies are common in Golden Retrievers and often require veterinary attention. They gain weight easily so do not overfeed. Source: dogbreedinfo.com SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month HERO DOG NOMINEES Page 8 Glory Sun Valley, CA Three nominees in the Hero Dog Search and Rescue category have selected the National Search Dog Alliance as their charity partner. Their pictures and a shortened version of the Hero Dog write up follow. To vote for an NSDA charity partner, go to http://www.herodogawards.org. Click on the vote button near the top of the screen. On the Nominees page, chose Search and Rescue in the Choose a Category box and the National Search Dog Alliance in the Choose a Charity Partner box. Then vote for the dog of your choice and help NSDA win. Maxwell Atallia, AL Glory is a 6 year old Bloodhound and unique in that she is the only Bloodhound in the State of California Certified to find lost pets. She has helped bring closure to hundreds of families in either locating the pet or finding remains. One of her recent searches involved finding a lost Pekinese, Goldie. Goldie belonged to a couple in their 90's that were in a private care home. Catriel Ds Trois Couronnes Batesville, GA Maxwell is 7 year old Australian Shepherd, NASAR Nationally Certified K-9 SARTECH III, Area Live Air Scent SAR Dog. He has trained and matured to be a SAR dog since he was six months old. Maxwell and his handler have been trained, through the years, by many well recognized USA air scent trainers, including US Border Patrol. Cat is a female Beauceron who has found several lost dogs for their owners......Her handler is legally disabled from a traumatic brain injury. She lives on SSI, but does SAR for free, has pet therapy dogs, service dog 4H dog club leader as well. She also trains at cost-food and vetting service dogs for disabled veterans and special needs children. Maxwell, being a great companion and SAR dog, has dedicated his life’s work to helping and saving humans. His work ethic, outgoing personality and loving disposition and unique balance of obedience and independence is more than one could ask for in a SAR dog! To vote for the K-9 hero of your choice in the search and rescue category and support NSDA, go to http://www.herodogawards SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month THEY GAVE ALL Page 9 Around 3 p.m. that afternoon, Crisp and K-9 Maros were ambushed by Troy Whisnant. Whisnant shot the officer and dog, took the officer’s gun and kept evading capture. Shortly afterward, he was approached by an Avery County sheriff’s deputy and two state troopers. When they told him to drop the weapon, Whisnant fired one shot and at least one officer returned fire, killing him. According to North Carolina Department of Correction records, Troy Whisnant was released from prison in July after serving eleven months on a receiving stolen property charge. In the late 1990s, he served a year in prison for manslaughter. U.S. Forest Service Officer Jason Crisp and K-9 Maros On March 12, 2014, United States Forest Service Officer Jason Crisp and his K-9 Maros were ambushed and killed by an accused murderer. The subject of the manhunt was later killed by officers. This occurred in Burke County, North Carolina, near Morganton. Investigators were called to the home of Rhonda and Levi Whisnants’ house on Fish Hatchery Road where deputies found the couples’ bodies. They were the parents of Troy David Whisnant who was suspected in their murder. Troy was a felon who had spent time in prison. As the investigation went on, the North Carolina Highway Patrol notified investigators that two cars had been reported stolen and may have been connected to their case. The manhunt focused on an area a mile in diameter around the home and one of the missing cars was located within that perimeter. More than 100 officers from about a half-dozen agencies joined in the manhunt. The Burke County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the killings of Rhonda and Levi Whisnant. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the suspect’s death. The FBI is investigating Officer Crisp’s killing. Source: The Charlotte Observer INJURED POLICE K-9 SURVIVES; SAVES OFFICERS Anaheim Police Department K-9 Officer named Bruno was shot in the lower jaw during a search with SWAT officers on Thursday, March 20, 2014, after he found a gunman hiding near a trash can. The bullet exited Bruno’s jaw and entered his chest before stopping near his heart, according to a Facebook post from the Friends of the Anaheim Police K9 Association, a non-profit that was raising money to help cover his medical expenses. Bruno had surgery at the Yorba Linda Regional Animal Hospital and was making progress in his recovery. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 10 well" after visits from his human partner. On Saturday, the dog received some blood from two other animals in his six-dog K-9 unit, Ares and Guenther. The 7-year-old German shepherd, Bruno, ate on his own and took a short walk for the first time on Sunday afternoon (3/23/14), according to a post on the Anaheim Police Department’s blog. A video showed the K-9 eating on his bed at the Yorba Regional Animal Hospital, where he's been recovering. “His blood count/numbers are slightly up," Anaheim police officer Brett Klevos wrote in an email to colleagues. K-9 Bruno and his human partner "He probably saved three officers' lives," Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt said of Bruno. Surgeons spent three hours reconstructing the dog’s jaw plus the gunshot wound forced doctors to remove part of Bruno's lung. The dog slept "off and on" during the night and remained heavily sedated early Friday, Schmidt said. Early Friday afternoon, the Anaheim Police Department tweeted that Bruno was "doing “It was exhausting for K-9 Bruno, but a great sign," he wrote. "The swelling has gone slightly down in his jaw. They made a special paste out of his prescription food and he was able to consume it with his back teeth." His condition was still considered "critical," but doctors said his recovery was making "leaps and bounds," the blog post said. "He is still being given heavy antibiotics and is on heavy sedation to hopefully keep him improving and keep him on the road to recovery," Klevos wrote. Sources: kla.com, nbclosangeles,com, nydailynews.com K-9 CRATOS FINDS On Friday, March 28, 2014, Trooper First Class David Lock and PA State Police (PSP) Human Remains Detection Canine, "Cratos" assisted PSP Jonestown Barracks in the search for Maxwell Duesterhoeft, a 21 year old missing male. Maxwell was last seen at 0200 hours on March 22, 2014. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month The search area was Swatara Creek in the area of East Hanover Township, Lebanon County, PA. Page 11 attempted to jump into the water. This behavior continued until they passed by the object at which time he laid back down and stopped barking. The water was approximately three to four feet deep and, on the second pass, it was determined that the object was a human body. Lock assisted with the recovery of the body by pulling the body to the shoreline. Swatara Creek Volunteer teams from a Search and Rescue Unit had searched the area on Monday, March 24th with their canines alerting to an area East of the point last seen and to an island to the East. These alerts ended with no body being recovered. K-9 Cratos was utilized to search the shoreline of the creek in the area where Maxwell was last seen but no alert behavior was observed. PSP Marine Unit assisted with the searches by taking Lock and K-9 Cratos to the middle of the creek on their boat. K-9 Cratos was then utilized to search the area where the other canines alerted and no alert behavior was observed from the PSP canine. K-9 Cratos was then utilized to search the creek to the West of the point last seen. After searching approximately one mile down the creek, Lock saw something on the bottom of the stream that could not be identified. The captain of the boat then began to turn the boat around as they got downstream and downwind of the unidentified object. At this point, K-9 Cratos began to alert and Pennsylvania State Police recovered the body of 21-year old Max Duesterhoeft around 11AM on Friday in Swatara Creek. He was located by troopers using a boat and a cadaver dog. Troopers said he was found about a mile southwest of where he was last seen in the 600 block of Pine Road in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County. Max was last seen early Saturday morning at a party where troopers said he took his shoes off and walked towards Swatara Creek. His family had been conducting their own unofficial search for Max throughout the week. Max Eichelberger, a friend of Max, said that Max was going to leave in a few weeks to go back to school and study information technology. A Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson said they will conduct an autopsy to determine Max’s exact cause of death. Below is the news article and a link to the video of Cratos working from the boat. [http://assets.newsinc.com/WPMT_75x27.png ?t=1396023480] [http://contentimg.newsinc.com/jpg/1478/25760647/107584 25.jpg?t=1396023480] Sources: fox43.com, pennlive.com SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 12 OSO DISASTER PUSHES DOGS, AND HANDLERS, TO THEIR LIMITS By Cat Warren (NSDA member and author of What the Dog Knows) April 5, 2014 Gray and black mud coats everything. The mud is 70 feet deep in places, shot through with huge shattered evergreens, splintered houses and outbuildings, twisted cars—pushed together by the force of the slide. A river has backed up and flooded parts of that mile-square pile. Scattered somewhere beneath it are the still missing and dead. It keeps raining. The search continues in that purgatory created almost two weeks ago when part of a mountain sheared off and roared to the bottom of a river valley in Oso, Washington. It will probably go on for weeks. Cadaver dogs, also called human remains detection dogs, are at the epicenter of that search. Labradors, German shepherds, golden retrievers, even a Weimaraner, ghost-like yet still vibrantly colored against that glacial mud, scramble to balance on logs, pick their way over the rubble of crushed houses. All the time, they use their noses to detect the complex odor of human death. The dogs, handlers alongside them, have to work slowly and methodically. Moving itself is a challenge, even for a canine with four legs and agility training. Their human handlers are clumsier. Crawling over huge logs. Avoiding twisted metal. Pulling boots out of mud the consistency of freshly poured concrete. Sometimes leaving a boot behind, where a helpful firefighter rescues it and helps get it back on the handler’s foot. Clearing a dog’s nostrils when she takes too deep a snort into the mud. Making sure the dog doesn’t end up slipping off floating debris or logs and get stuck underneath. Helping a dog slide down into and out of ponds created by the incessant rain and the flooding river. Checking, checking, checking for scent. I was listening to dog handlers describe that terrible scene from nearly 3,000 miles away in North Carolina, wishing that I still lived in the Northwest where I grew up. Wishing I was there, at the scene. Wishing that my 10-year-old cadaver dog, Solo, was much younger, or that my agile, driven, but still juvenile cadaver dog in training, Coda, was older. They are bookends, each at one spectrum of a dog’s life. It’s not that any cadaver dog handler wishes for a disaster. To the contrary. But if there is a disaster, you want to be there, working with your dog. Everyone at the Oso site knows no victims remain alive. But the search hasn’t stopped. It has shifted. The number of confirmed dead stands at 30; the number of missing at 15. Cadaver dogs, both handlers and officials say, have been crucial in helping both to pinpoint victims’ locations and to narrow areas to search. Everyone knows it might not be possible to recover and identify all the victims. But dogs, handlers and searchers are all part of a team that is steadily lowering the number of the missing, one muddy step at a time. The earlier euphemism that media and officials used for the search at Oso, “specially trained dogs,” has been abandoned. These dogs, cadaver dogs, are trained to search for the scent of human remains. As tragic as this disaster is, the dogs still provide hope. It’s crucial work to recover the dead—and the dogs with their handlers are the first step. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 13 “Every area we went to, I was told, ‘Dog teams are our main resource, our guides,’” said Cat Best, of Walla Wall Sheriff SAR K-9, who worked the area with her black German shepherd, Izzy. It was the first disaster she had worked and she was honored and awed to be there. Said another handler, Phoebe Duke of Intermountain Search Dogs out of Spokane, Washington (and NSDA member), who worked with her nearly 9-year-old golden retriever, Porter, for three days at Oso and has turned around to return after a rest: “The search is totally around the dogs.” Their dogs were willing to go in, to go up, to go over. They are trained to recognize the complex scent of human remains, with its hundreds of volatile compounds, and to signal that find to their handlers. Scent may be wafting from under water, running down the current, getting pulled into the debris of log piles, or slipping out from under many feet of mud, perhaps because a piece of debris has given it enough air to escape. It’s a confused scent picture on the site. Nonetheless, for the dogs working to detect the scent of human remains, it isn’t traumatic. It’s a smell associated with a game, with a reward, with play. They love it. Dogs associate their particular job—finding the dead—with positive things, not with tragedy. Handlers and their flankers mark spots where a dog has expressed interest or alerted and then move on. Sometimes, they’ll bring in another dog to see if they can narrow the area. Searchers can come in with shovels and hands, and sometimes a backhoe to get underneath. And if someone is found or if part of someone is found, they are removed carefully. But the search at that spot doesn’t necessarily end there. No one can assume, if another dog returns to that site and expresses interest, that they might not have to dig another six feet further down and find someone else, or something else. The dog may have still found residual scent from the person already removed. But perhaps not. It is an excavation of heartbreak and infinite guesswork. On a disaster scene like this, just as in all difficult work, it’s never about one thing. It’s a team effort, and there is no perfect tool. Experienced handlers know that dogs can’t provide all the answers. They aren’t magic. And sometimes, even when a dog alerts, effectively telling the handler “I smell something here,” the handler might not learn the answer, amid the chaos and challenges of the site. “It can be very frustrating,” said Marcia Koenig, of King County Search Dogs (and NSDA member and Principal Evaluator). “You may never know.” Marcia, with more than 40 years of search-dog handling experience, worked the Oso landslide for several days, up to her knees in mud, with her 7-year-old sable shepherd, Raven, working out in front and alongside. Even experienced dogs and their human handlers are pushed to their physical limits at Oso. They can become exhausted in what is a horrendous search environment. The mud and water is bonechilling. What’s astonishing is that there have been so few injuries, except for a couple of scrapes and cut pads, and one case of hypothermia. But dogs can’t do it all. Mud, water, sand, and debris SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 14 can change where scent is, or block access to it entirely. And in a disaster of this magnitude, sometimes the trained response handlers are accustomed to seeing, such as a dog lying down or barking, isn’t there. Handlers have to know their dogs’ body language, to watch to see if they are interested or “in odor.” Somehow, through all of this, the dogs are communicating their knowledge to their handlers. They are accessing places that aren’t safe for people. They are working off lead, directed by commands and signals to places their human handlers can’t access. The dogs’ noses are giving searchers places to focus their attentions. And in numerous instances, people who have worked at Oso say, the dogs are the first step in returning the dead to their families and friends. “The dogs are working their hearts out,” Marcia Koenig said. Marcia Koenig is no stranger to working in disasters. She and her prior search dog, Coyote, were flown to Guam in 1997 when Korean Flight 801 crashed and tore a ragged hole down the mountainside. She worked after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She’s the kind of person you want to work with: cheerful, enthusiastic, happy to see other handlers and their dogs succeed. She and her husband, Andy Rebmann, who wrote the book on handling cadaver dogs, have trained people and dogs across the world how to look for the dead. That book, The Cadaver Dog Handbook, was my bible when I started learning how to train Solo as a cadaver dog in 2004. Andy was on the site at Oso as well, to help coordinate some of the efforts, and to use his German shepherd, Carlo, on a water search. But even with more than four decades of search experience, Marcia is finding Oso is presenting new challenges to her, to other experienced handlers, and to their dogs. Oso also is showing handlers new sides to their dogs. Raven is usually standoffish. Andy calls her “the princess.” But at Oso, she stepped down from her throne. “Normally she has no interest in strangers and just turns away from them,” Marcia said. “But at the search site every time someone wants to pet her, she snuggles up to them, licks them and tries to get in their lap if they're sitting down.” Cat Best, who had never deployed on a disaster, although she had been on a number of searches, watched the hundreds of hours of training Izzy pay off, and was enormously grateful for that feeling of becoming one with the dog: “The directions we had practiced so many times—forward, back, left, right, hup, over and this way—became imperative for survival and an ongoing conversation between us. We navigated logs across quicksand, me in my human form just trying not to fall, Izzy with strong dexterity, like she had done it a million times.” In the meantime, dogs worked scent. That was what happened all over what handlers call “the pile.” Searchers and handlers have to take the dog’s interest, use the science and knowledge about scent, and figure out where to go next. Scent moves. Think about a colored smoke bomb SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 15 and what it does in wind and in rain, and you start to get the picture. Often, a dog’s alert is just the beginning of a complex evacuation, using backhoe, shovels, and sometimes bare hands. In the meantime, some dogs who have worked several days are getting a well-deserved break. More than 30 dogs have been on the site. More are being brought in from other states to give the dogs who have worked for days a rest. But the rest won’t last long. While the old adage, “train hard, search easy” couldn’t be applied in this case, facing mountains of mud and debris, that doesn’t mean handlers and trainers aren’t already mulling over how to incorporate the lessons they learned on the site to future trainings. Although I only had photographs and word pictures in my head, although I am on the opposite coast from Washington, I started thinking about what I could do to incorporate lessons from this disaster. How I might train my little 20-month-old minx, Coda, to best prepare her, and me, for such a terrible search. It was almost beyond imagining. Almost. Driving home to Spokane after several days of searching, Phoebe Duke and her fellow team members were already jotting notes on how they could make sure their dogs were even better prepared. Making sure all the dogs were used to getting on ATVs. Getting them accustomed to helicopter blade backwash. Training them so they could balance easily on log piles, even when those logs shifted under their feet. And Marcia Koenig, though she admits that she is covered with bruises and exhausted, said she was going out in the morning with Andy. To work with their dogs on training problems. To make sure the dogs were happy and successful. And ready for the next search. Source: thedodo.com SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 16 AVALANCHE Below are the Avalanche statistics through March for 2014: DATE 2014-03-30 2014-03-22 ** 2014-03-15 2014-03-11 2014-03-10 2014-03-07 2014-03-05 2014-03-04 2014-02-28 2014-02-22 2014-02-18 2014-02-16 2014-02-15 2014-02-11 2014-02-10 2014-02-10 2014-02-09 2014-02-08 2014-01-18 2014-01-13 2014-01-11 2014-01-07 PLACE La Pine, Newberry Volcano, Paulina Peak Snoqualmie Pass, Granite Mountain, south side FATALITIE ST 1 OR ACTIVITY SNOWMOBILE SUMMARY 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and killed 1 WA SKI 1 backcountry skier caught, buried and killed Haines, Kicking Horse Valley, Tele Bowl Cooke City, Daisy Pass / Crown Butte Altoona Lakes, Granite County, NE of Phillipsburg Uinta Mountains, Gold Hill La Plata Mountains, Sharkstooth Eastern San Juans, Conejos Peak Missoula, Rattlesnake Valley, Mt. Jumbo Troy, West Cabinet Mountain Range Togwotee Pass Smoky Mountains, Frenchman Creek, west of Galena Summit Sawatch Range, Independence Pass, Star Mountain Wallowa Mountains, near Cornucopia, Little Eagle Meadow Keystone, North Fork Swan River Crested Butte, Kebler Pass 1 AK SKI 1 heli-ski guide caught, buried and killed 1 MT SNOWMOBILE 1 MT SKI 1 1 UT CO SNOWMOBILE SNOWMOBILE 1 CO OTHER 2 snowmobilers caught, 1 injured and 1 buried and killed 1 backcountry skier caught, buried and killed 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and killed 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and killed (presumed) 1 ski patroller caught, buried and killed 1 MT OTHER 1 MT SNOWMOBILE 1 1 WY ID SNOWMOBILE SNOWMOBILE 2 CO SKI 2 OR SKI 1 CO SKI 1 CO SNOWMOBILE Sanpete County, Hungtington Reservoir Wasatch Mountains, American Fork Canyon Cascade Mountains, Barlow Pass, Lewis Peak Logan, Providence Canyon, Fair and Rodeo Grounds Preston, Northern Bear Range, St Charles Canyon Vail, East Vail Chutes, CDC 1 UT SNOWMOBILE 2 out-of-area skiers caught, 1 partly buried, 1 buried and killed 2 snowmobilers caught, 1 partly buried, 1 buried and killed 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and killed 1 UT SNOWSHOE 1 snowshoer caught, buried and killed 1 WA CLIMB 1 climber caught and killed UT SNOWMOBILE 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and injured ID SNOWMOBILE 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and injured CO SKI 4 out-of-area skiers caught, 1 buried and killed, 3 injured 1 1 snowplayer and 2 residents caught and buried, 1 resident killed 2 snowmobilers caught, 1 partly (mostly) buried and 1 buried and killed 1 snowmobiler caught, buried and killed 4 snowmobilers caught and buried, 1 killed 5 backcountry skiers caught, 3 injured, 2 buried and killed 5 backcountry skiers caught, 2 partly buried, 2 injured and 2 killed SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 17 AVALANCHE ** NSDA Avalanche Principal Evaluator Kevin Huggett made this find and, when he gets back from the mudslide in Oso, WA, will write an article on the avalanche for the newsletter. Below is the report posted on Avalanche.org. Place: Snoqualmie Pass, Granite Mountain, south side State: WA Country: USA Fatalities: 1 Summary: 1 backcountry skier caught, buried and killed From the NWAC's Monday morning (3/24) report: Around 4:45 PM on Saturday afternoon two (2) skiers and a dog descending the looker's left (or skier's right) avalanche path on the south side of Granite Mt (visible from I-90) triggered a slab avalanche that stepped down to a deeper slab. Upon review of crown photos and conversations with local avalanche professionals from Snoqualmie Pass, it seems most likely that the initial slab failure on this cross loaded path included the Wed/Thu storm snow and the second slab of similar depth included last Sun/Mon storm snow with the bonds between these layers weakened by strong solar input and potential melt water in the upper snowpack during the afternoon. The best estimate right now is that both slabs were at least one (1) foot in depth. The skier caught and eventually killed in the slide left the ridgeline at about 5200 ft. in elevation and skied onto a steep (40+ degrees) slope. The avalanche became a large and destructive wet slab funneling down to around 2300', entraining increasingly saturated snow lower in the avalanche path and at times gouging to the ground. Initial size estimates are at least D3/R3. The other person was in a safe zone and not affected. The skier who was caught was buried under twenty (20) feet of debris but was recovered Sunday morning by local search and rescue efforts. Another party of two lower on Granite was not caught and aided in the preliminary search efforts. Media Report: blogs.seattletimes.com Posted 24 March 2014 at 0900 MDT Source: Avalanche.org SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 18 DISASTER AREA LILLIAN HARDY Lillian Hardy is the Search and Rescue Program manager for Indiana Department of Homeland Security. She has been involved in search and rescue work since 1981. INDIANA IN THE FALL Join NSDA in Edinburgh, Indiana, at Camp Atterbury for the October 9-12, 2014, Fall Seminar. ATTERBURY INSTRUCTORS Land HRD Lisa Higgins, LaSAR (profiled in the March issue of SAR Dog News) Area Sharon Jones, Virginia Search and Rescue Council Kim Veldheer, K-9 ONE Search and Rescue Trailing Mark Holmes, Detective CID Port Arthur, TX K-9 Handler Corbin Hodge, Instructor, United States Mantrailing Association Disaster Area Lillian Hardy, Indiana DHS, SAR Section Chief Ann Wichmann, SARDA Disaster HRD Deana Hudgins, Recovery Canines Ohio Search and Lillian started as a volunteer in 1981 while living in California; she worked with Civil Air Patrol and the American Red Cross as a First Aid Instructor and as a member of the Los Angeles Chapter Disaster Assistance Team. In 1988 she moved to Illinois and founded Illinois Search and Rescue (ISAR) and continued working with Civil Air Patrol. Lillian has instructed ground search and rescue classes and has assisted many K-9 handlers with the training of their dogs. Lillian received certification through National K-9 in 1993 as Master Dog trainer and has worked with many breeds and training disciplines. While in Indiana, Lillian has volunteered as a member of Midwest Search dogs and the Indiana Search and Rescue Association; she also served on the PSTI (Public Safety Training Institute) K-9 Sub-Committee. Lillian has instructed at several Law Enforcement Training Specialist seminars. Since 2004, Lillian has worked as the Search and Rescue Section Chief for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. She manages the IDHS Mari Hulman George Search and Rescue Training Center located in Edinburgh, Indiana. Watch for biographies of the other Atterbury instructors in future issues of SAR Dog News. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 19 KIBBLES & BITS by Susan Bulanda Editor’s note: Anyone having questions regarding SAR, training, animal behavior, etc., please submit them to susanb21@juno.com A dog’s False Alert is a handler’s most feared thing. While it is more common in air scenting dogs, any dog in any discipline can give a false alert. This issue of Kibbles and Bits will address why it happens and the next issue will discuss how to prevent/cure it. Why Dogs Give a False Alert Part I A false alert can be either on a human, human remains or an object. For the sake of this article, all references to the hidden person will also mean an object or whatever the dog is being trained to find. In reality, it could be a specific scent such as bomb or drug scents. There are a number of reasons why a dog will give a false alert. Sometimes the cause is a combination of issues and not limited to one. To determine why your dog gives a false alert, you must analyze all of the components discussed below. To begin with, either you or someone else must carefully observe all of the events that led up to the false alert. What the problem involved, how you behaved and how the dog acted. If it happens more than once, by writing down notes, you will start to see a pattern. Once you see a pattern, you will start to understand why the dog is giving a false alert. A) Many handlers teach their dog to give a false alert during training, even though the handler is unaware that they are doing it. When the handler knows where the person is hiding, they will give the dog some sort of body signal just before the dog has a find. This could be slowing down, looking in the direction of the hidden person or even consistently walking toward the hidden person. New dog handlers are most likely to do this but seasoned handlers can do it as well. One of the reasons why a handler will do this is their desire to succeed and have their dog progress quickly so that they can become qualified. Unfortunately the false alert can disqualify a dog who is being tested for certification. In the scenario above, the dog will have a successful find and give the alert signal as long as the handler knows where the person is hiding. When the handler does not know where the person is hiding, but they think the person could be in an area, they will give the body signal and the dog will give the false alert. The dilemma is that, in order to learn to read the dog, the handler must know where the person is hiding in early training. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 20 B) Some dogs are so excited about the praise/reward for finding a person that they will give a false alert to earn the praise/reward. These dogs figure this out themselves and manipulate their handler to get what they want. The handler is not at fault in this case but must correct the behavior immediately in order to stop it. C) In very rare cases, the dog may have had enough work and is either tired or bored and has learned that by giving a false alert the problem will end. This is something the dog figures out on his own. It is important that the handler does not support this behavior. D) The dog thinks that the problem should be over and decides to end it himself, not because he is tired or bored. These dogs will act lively and happy indicating that they are not tired or bored. Kibbles & Bits will have Part II in May. Trivia Well-Heeled: This is an interesting phrase. The first use of this term was in cock fighting during the frontier days. The term came from the fact that men would add an artificial spur before the bird went into a fight. During the same period of time, but a little later, the term meant to be well armed. Men who went “heeled” carried a gun and well heeled meant that they were well armed. It wasn’t until a decade later that the term took on today’s meaning that a person who is “well-heeled” meant that they were well provided with money. Does that mean that people decided that it was easier and safer to protect themselves with money instead of guns? An interesting thought. Horsefeathers has been around since about 1925 and is an euphemism for “horseshit.” It could also be related to the term “horsefeathers” used in carpentry. In old time carpentry, horsefeathers were the feathering strips used in roofing and siding. It is also possible that the term derived as a substitute for “nonsense.” There is an old saying “That’s nonsense, that’s like saying horses have feathers.” What is ironic about this is that the hair around the hooves of horses and on the legs of dogs is referred to as feathering. Who knows! Chin-chin is a rare expression of greeting. It is an oriental English greeting that is used in literature since the early 19th century. It is derived from the old English word cin. Chin-Chin is a corruption of the Chinese salutation ts’ing ts’ing. It has nothing at all to do with the anatomical “chin.” SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month SPRING CLEANING When spring arrives, it is time for spring cleaning, not only the house but also tasks pertaining to dogs. Walk the yard: When snow melts, there is always fecal matter that was hidden and needs to be cleaned up. Downed branches, stones and other debris that a dog might swallow or chew should also be removed. Clean or discard old toys: An inventory of the dog’s toys will indicate whether the toys need to be washed or thrown out. Plush and fabric toys can be put in the washing machine. Frayed and/or broken ones should be discarded. Clean the dog’s space: Besides the regular chores of washing bedding and dog dishes, areas adjoining the dog’s space needs cleaning too. Baseboards around the dog’s dishes need washing as well as the dog’s favorite windows. Crates and carriers could use a thorough cleansing with mild soap such as dish washing detergent and a highly diluted disinfectant. A final wipe-down with water could reduce the chance of the dog coming in contact with chemicals. Get rid of dog hair: Spring is time for dog’s to shed and leave large deposits of fur in the house. Before vacuuming carpets and upholstery, mist them lightly with a mixture of water and fabric softener. Then go Page 21 over the fabric with a stiff-bristled brush to loosen and pull up embedded hairs. A lint roller, pet-hair remover or other hair grabbing device can be used before vacuuming. SUPPORT NSDA WHEN YOU SHOP NATIONAL WINNER Thurman Hayes of Jamestown, North Carolina, is the national winner of the Salute to Senior Service contest. NSDA’s President Norma Snelling was a winner for the State of Washington and garnered $500 for the Alliance. After selling some of his land to the Guilford County Schools for a new school for children with disabilities, Mr. Hayes followed the entire building process, getting to know all the workers and being rewarded by them with a hard hat. Since the school’s completion, Mr. Hayes has assisted with PE every day and participates in all extracurricular activities. Mr. Hayes averages well over 100 hours of volunteer time each month …….AND he celebrated his 97th birthday in January! SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month ARSON DOG STATUE WINS The National Fire Dog Monument, sponsored by American Humane Association and State Farm Insurance, was voted the top monument in the Washington, D.C., area The final round of voting had more than 9,000 votes cast between the National Seabee Memorial and the National Fire Dog Monument. And after five rounds of this inaugural contest, with more than 27,000 total votes cast, the arson dog won. Age: Dedicated 2013 Home: Fifth and F streets NW, Washinton, D.C. Sculptor: Austin Weishel Key stat: K-9 agent Sadie, who served as a model for the statue, was named the 2011 Law Enforcement/Arson Dog of the Year. Page 22 SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 23 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) That’s true devotion…or…That’s a really good therapy dog! The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service dog as one that is trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. ADA regulations state that businesses, government and many non-profit organizations must allow service animals wherever the public has access. The ADA rules also specify that, when it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only two questions may be asked: 1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? 2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? If a business denies access to a person accompanied by what turns out to be a legitimate service dog, they could face civil penalties of up to $55,000 for violating a person’s civil rights. Source: AKC Family Dog Please be aware that SAR dogs are not considered service dogs in all states and SAR K-9s should not be presumed to be covered under this federal law. Acquiring a dog is the only chance we get to choose our relations. Anonymous SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month Page 24 BOOK REVIEW By Susan Bulanda Hit by a Flying Wolf: True Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation and Real Life with Dogs and Wolves by Nicole Wilde, published by Phantom Publishing, ISBN: 978-9817227-4-0, $19.95, 157 pgs. When I first read the title of this book, I was concerned that it would promote wolf and wolf-dog ownership, encouraging the general public to think that it was cool to own a wolf. However I was very relieved to see that the book does not do this. Instead, the book is divided into two parts. The first part tells about the author’s experience with some of the dogs that she rescued. Like many dog trainers and behavior consultants, Ms. Wilde did not want dogs that needed extensive rehabilitation as her own pets. As a behavior consultant myself, I could fully relate to that feeling. After working with other people’s problems, you do not want to come home and have a full set of problems yourself. You want to enjoy your dog. This was not to be the case for Ms. Wilde. She shares with her readers the issues she had with her dogs and how she worked with them to solve the problems. She also shares the story of her “soul” dog, the special one that connected with her. Those of us who have at least one “soul” dog in our lives are truly blessed. The second part of the book tells how Ms. Wilde responded to an ad for wolfdogs and as a result met Tia who ran Villalobos Rescue Center. By the end of the first visit, she volunteered to do whatever was needed and wound up co-running and being the Executive Director of the rescue. She tells us about the plight of these poor animals that were given up by people who had no idea how to handle or meet the needs of a wolf. Throughout the second half of the book she shows us the problems she had and how she tried to overcome them in order to give these beautiful animals as much quality of life as can be expected in captivity. Due to extenuating circumstances, Ms. Wilde winds up taking three wolves home where she had to build a wolf-proof pen for them. She stresses that wolves can eat through an 11 gauge chain link fence with no trouble. They are also expert at tunneling and climbing. Although the wolves are tame, they are not dogs and handling them and going in the pen with them required awareness and caution on her part. The book has beautiful color pictures of both her dogs and the wolves. I was delighted at how well written the book is. Ms. Wilde’s sincerity about the frustrations she had and efforts she made to solve the behavior issues were a delight to read. SAR Dog News, April 2014 April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month This is not a step-by-step how to solve problems book; it is a book that shares from the heart. The tone of the book was not one of “see how great I am,” but rather “share my frustrations and experiences.” I think it is also important to mention that, although it is not a major theme in the book, Ms. Wilde was able to accomplish what she did because her husband, C.C., was 100% supportive. Without his help, I do not feel she would have been as successful or even able to do what she did. Handling her dogs and wolves, in many ways, was a two person job. In conclusion I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and could personally relate to most of it. It is a must read for anyone who loves wolves and dogs. To order a copy, go to: http://www.nicolewilde.com/store/hit-by-aflying-wolf/ THE LAST HOWL By Sue Wolff Opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of the National Search Dog Alliance. Admittedly, the older I get the longer it takes to recover from doing a search and/or an evaluation. One thing I have learned is that continual use of muscles, arms, legs, your whole body is vital to “aging well”. Muscle tone, strength, stamina are all essential if we are to continue in SAR at any age. This doesn’t mean that you have to go to the gym to work out (although that helps). It does mean that you, and your dog, need to go to training at least once a week in order to stay in shape so that you don’t become a part of the problem on a search. Board of Directors— Norma Snelling, President, Washington nsnelling@n-sda.org 360-808-0894 Sherry Scruggs, Vice-President, Georgia sscruggs@n-sda.org Sue Wolff, Secretary, Tennessee swolff@n-sda.org Cameron Daggett, Treasurer, Idaho cdaggett@n-sda.org 208-720-0619 Susan Fleming, Pennsylvania sfleming@n-sda.org Gloria Howard, Florida ghoward@n-sda.org Jan Meyer, Missouri jmeyer@n-sda.org Robert Noziska, New Mexico rnoziska@n-sda.org Robert Simon, Florida Advocacy Council An old adage says “Age is a state of mind, If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” Obviously Thurman Hayes agrees; he still volunteers at the age of 97. Are we going to be like him or will we be couch potatoes watching TV and groaning about our aches and pains? Page 25 Susan Bulanda Frank Hancock Lisa Higgins Marcia Koenig Carol Ann Namur Larry Welker Dee Wild Arthur E. Wolff National Search Dog Alliance Statement of Financial Income and Expense January 1 through April 1, 2014 04/01/2014 Cash basis TOTAL Income 45030 · Interest-Savings, Short-term CD 45040 · Interest - Checking 15.25 0.25 46420 · Inventory Sales (Merchandise) 272.66 46430 · Certification Field Test 245.00 46440 · On Line Certification Testing 47210 · Membership Dues - Individual 47230 · Membership Dues - Team 49061 · 2014 Pennsylvania Seminar Total Income 155.00 2,360.00 900.00 2,325.00 6,273.16 Cost of Goods Sold 50700 · Cost of Inventory Total COGS 109.75 109.75 Gross Profit 6,163.41 Expense 65010 · Business/Financial Software 377.75 65020 · Postage, Mailing Service 180.00 65021 · Shipping for Alliance Depot 82.06 65040 · Office Supplies 22.64 65070 · Web/Trng Sites and Hosting Fees 13.57 65075 · Hosting Fees 27.14 65080 · PayPal Cost-Membership Dues 53.36 65090 · PayPal Cost-Inventory Sales 5.99 65100 · PayPal Cost-On Line Training 10.91 67330 · 2014 Pennslyvania Seminar 68100 · BOD meeting/travel Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Net Income 2,341.74 108.43 3,223.59 2,939.82 2,939.82 TRAINING, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES REACH OVER 1,300 SAR K-9 HANDLERS. LIST YOUR TRAININGS, SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES IN THE SAR DOG ALERT. Contact Editor Sue Wolff at swolff@n-sda.org April 20-25, International Bloodhound Trailing & Cadaver Seminar, put on by Law Enforcement Bloodhound Association (LEBA), in Grantsville, Maryland. Not just for Bloodhounds...all breeds and SAR handlers welcome! For more information, go to leba98.com for a registration form. April 24-27, North Carolina Canine Emergency Response Team (NCCERT) 4th annual HRD Seminar, Washington, NC. Actual fieldwork will be the emphasis for this seminar including day and night work, wilderness, urban, town, buildings (large & small) and vehicles. Water - daytime only. For more information and registration forms, please email: info@nccert.org April 26-27. K9320 –Intermediate Tracking / Trailing Techniques for K9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov May 3-4, Tracking Dog Clinic, Morinville, Alberta, Canada. For more information, see http://www.precisionsearchdog.com/2014-Seminars.html May 3-4, SAR300 – Ground Search Operations, Level II, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov May 3-4, K9650 –K9 Credentialing Test, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov May 3-9, FUNdamentals for Dog Training Success, Blue Ridge Canine Services facility, Faber, VA. For further information and registration, contact Amy Swope, Email: amy.swope@yahoo.com, Phone: (540) 292-4073 May 14-18, Area, Trailing, HRD seminar, Dwight Mission, Vian, OK. Limited Space: 16 Air Scent handlers, 14 Trailers, 8 Land HRD and 8 Water HRD. Contact information and further information can be found at eastoklahomak9.com Training, Seminars & Conferences Continued May 14-15, K9420- Advanced Tracking/Trailing Search Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov May 14th - 18th, East Oklahoma K-9 Training Seminar, Dwight Mission, Vian, OK. Air Scent, Land and Water HRD, Trailing. For more information and an application, see http://eastoklahomak9.com. On the web site, you'll see a tab for "Events" and then "Seminar 2014" or email Deanna Butler, dbutler@windstream.net May 16, California Narcotic Canine Association Regional Training and Certification day, Rio Lindo Adventist Academy, 3200 Rio Lindo Ave., Healdsburg, CA. For more information contact Chris.Bertoli@sonoma-county.org May 16-18, K-9 Tracking/Trailing Seminar, Harriman, TN. Classes are limited. For more information, contact Janet Besanceney at SI.K9seminars@gmail.com May 21-25, North Star K9 Training Association Spring Seminar, Seymour, IN. Water, Land HRD and Trailing. Register and more information at www.nsk9ta.com May 30- June 1 (Date CHANGED), Basic Tracking Dog Seminar, Morinville, Alberta, Canada. For more information, see http://www.precisionsearchdog.com/2014-Seminars.html June 5-8, Penn Vet Working Dog Conference, “Whole Dog Health: An Integrative Approach to Building a Stronger Team”, Philadelphia, PA. Focus on current best practices and new techniques for maintaining the health and longevity of working and performance dogs, minimizing injury, rehabilitation, and preventive care. For more information, see http://pennvetwdc.org/education/conference/ June 5-8, Penn Vet Working Dog Conference, “Whole Dog Health: An Integrative Approach to Building a Stronger Team”, Philadelphia, PA. Focus on current best practices and new techniques for maintaining the health and longevity of working and performance dogs , minimizing injury, rehabilitation, and preventive care. For more information, see http://pennvetwdc.org/education/conference June 7-8, Scenarios Workshop for Search Dog Teams, Cody, WY. Search scenarios will be conducted in wilderness and urban areas to simulate actual searches for missing persons. Human remains detection, airscent, evidence and trailing dog disciplines will be utilized for large area and urban search for the types of cases SAR handlers usually respond to such as Alzheimer subjects, missing children, drowning victims, suicide searches as well as crime scene. For more information, contact K. T. Irwin at leonberg@tctwest.net. June 7, K9210 -Basic Land Cadaver Techniques for K9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov June 8, K9200 –Basic Air Scenting Techniques for K9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov Training, Seminars & Conferences Continued June 19-22, SAR Conference, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov June 20-21, 5th Annual Water Workout Weekend, Whitney Point Reservoir near Binghamton, NY. For more information, contact Robert Langendoen <rexlange@msn.com> June 20-22, Basic Search Dog Seminar, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. For more information, see http://www.precisionsearchdog.com/2014-Seminars.html June 20-22, HRD Seminar near Cody, WY. Bill Dotson, Ann Christensen and Ben Alexander will rotate through three groups of beginning, intermediate and advanced teams with 8 teams per group. For more information, contact K. T. Irwin at leonberg@tctwest.net. June 25-27, Detection Dogs with Mike Suttle, Mottville, New York. Topics addressed will include operant conditioning, scent wall training, building and capping drive, dog selection, odor recognition, a solid commitment to the dog's target odor, development of a solid final response, proper reward presentation, and troubleshooting. This seminar will be limited to 20 dog/handler teams and unlimited observers. Please contact Lynn Packard at events@sdona.org or 734-320-2288 for additional information. June 27-29 All Breed Mantrailing Seminar in Laramie, Wyoming. Albany County Sheriff's Search & Rescue is sponsoring this seminar featuring Sleuth Hounds master trainers Marshall Thielen and Colin Thielen. For more information contact Cathi Carr-Lundfelt at galenagold@msn.com or call (307) 742-6399 or (307) 399-6147. July 12-13, GSAR 400– Ground Search (Technician), Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov July 13-15, 2014 Police and Military Working Dog Conference, Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.K9copmagazine.com July 19-20, K9300 -Intermediate Air Scenting Techniques for K9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov August 2, SAR100 -Crime Scene Operations – Blood Borne Pathogens, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov August 3, K9 Pretest, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov August 8, 9 and 10, Airscent/Trailing seminar near Cody, Wyoming. The instructors will be Janet Wilts and Beat Marti. Please go to www.WindRiverK9.org to view their bios or to sign up or email Janet Wilts at janetwilts@msn.com. Training, Seminars & Conferences Continued August 23-24, SAR200 – Ground Search Operations, Level I, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov August 30-31, K9410 –Advanced Land Cadaver Techniques for K9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov September 6-7, K9650 –K9 Credentialing Test, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov September 20-21, SAR200 – Ground Search Operations, Level II, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov September 28-October 3, CSAR Seminar, Camp Lakewood, Potosi, MO. For more information, see www.csar.org September 28-October 3, 2014 Fall Workshop, Holiday Lake 4-H Camp, Appomattox, VA. Old Dominion K-9 and Sumner County (TN) Emergency Management. For more information, see http://www.olddominionsar.com/instructors.html October 9-12, NSDA Fall Seminar, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. Registration form attached to this newsletter. For more information, contact jmeyer@n-sda.org October 11, SAR101 – Skills day, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana. For more information call Lillian Hardy at 812-526-0013 or e-mail lhardy@dhs.in.gov Application for Election to the Board of Directors Candidate’s Name: Physical address: Mailing address if different from above: Phone number: Day time: Night time: E-mail address: NSDA voting region: _________________ NSDA membership number (MUST be member by March 1, 2013): _________ ATTACH Photograph: in jpg format for inclusion on the NSDA website and in the NSDA newsletter ATTACH Candidate Bio: 750 words or less highlighting your non canine expertise for inclusion on the NSDA website and in the NSDA newsletter ATTACH completed BOD Candidate Questionnaire COMPLETE this form and send along with the attachments listed above to Larry Welker, lwelker@aol.com or mail to Larry at 20203 Easter Ferry Road, Athens, AL 35614. NATIONAL SEARCH DOG ALLIANCE (NSDA) Questions for Board Candidates Name__________________________________________________ Region _____________ NSDA wants all voting members to have the best possible information about individuals who are seeking a position on its Board of Directors. In pursuit of this goal, we would like each candidate to answer the following questions. 1) Please tell our members about your business experience and involvement in SAR organizational management. 2) Do you have the time to devote between three (3) and five (5) hours each week to help on different committees or other assignments and what would be your preferred line of work? 3) Do you have any specialized professional skills, managerial or financial experience which could help NSDA manage their growth? 4) What vision do you have for NSDA and where do you see the Alliance in five (5) years? ten (10) years? 5) If elected, what would you want to see NSDA accomplish during your term in office? 6) As a member of the Board, what would you change about NSDA ? 7) Why do you want to be on NSDA’s Board? 8) Do you provide services or product for the SAR Community for personal financial gain? If yes, please explain. 9) Are you on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of any other organization(s)? If so, which ones? Would there be any conflict of interest should you be elected to the NSDA Board? 10) Any comments you would like to add. *** If you would like to certify at this event, your full registration MUST be received BEFORE August 1 *** NSDA Area, Disaster, Trailing and Land HRD Seminar Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana October 9 – 12, 2014 Registration Fee if postmarked on or prior to September 1, 2014: $385.00 for Non-Members $200.00 without a K-9 One dog per registrant $290.00 for Members $150.00 without a K-9 No Partial Registrations Registration Fee if postmarked after September 15, 2014: $385.00 for everyone with a K-9; $250 without a K-9 Lodging Wednesday through Saturday; Meals Thursday breakfast through Sunday breakfast; Classes Thursday AM through Sunday noon. Name & K-9 name will be on certificate as written here. Please PRINT ALL so I can read it! Name: __________________________________Address__________________________ City/State/ZIP: _____________________________________Phone #_________________ NSDA Membership # _____________________ Expiration Date: ____________________* *For membership information, contact ckelley.sardog@yahoo.com Affiliation: ________________________________________________________________ Email (PRINT LEGIBLY): ___________________________________________________ Canine Name & Breed _______________________________________________ M / F I will be staying: on-site I will be staying off-site Indicate class you would like to attend - check only one: Area Search Beginning Intermediate Advanced *** Land HRD Beginning Intermediate Advanced *** Trailing Beginning Intermediate Advanced *** Disaster Area Beginning *** Intermediate *** Required to work on pile: steel or composite toe boots, Disaster HRD Beginning *** Intermediate *** knee pads, gloves, long sleeves, helmet *** K-9 required to perform a consistent, recognizable, trained final response. The Beginning Disaster classes are for those K-9’s proficient in Area or HRD and wish to move to disaster training. Previous training, a trained final response and appropriate equipment are required by the instructors to work the pile. EVALUATIONS NSDA will offer evaluations/certifications on Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 8. All evaluation slots will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis based on receipt of registration. All of the testing prerequisites, standards and instructions can be found on the website at www.n-sda.org on the Testing/Evaluator Information page. Any candidate unable to provide copies of their prerequisite requirements to the Evaluator at the time of the test will not be able to test. No exceptions. We will not be able to accept any evaluation requests once all slots are full. We will keep you posted on the website as to when the classes fill or when all evaluation slots are full. Evaluations will begin at 8:00 am on Tuesday and Wednesday for all disciplines. Those attending the seminar will be given testing preference. If you would like to certify, a fully paid registration must be RECEIVED PRIOR TO AUGUST 1, so we can determine how many evaluators will be needed. Evaluation fee: $35.00 members $75.00 non-members Include fee with registration. I would like to test Area I Tuesday Wednesday Dog Name __________ I would like to test Area II Tuesday Wednesday Dog Name __________ I would like to test Land HRD Tuesday Wednesday Dog Name __________ I would like to test Trailing II Tuesday Wednesday Dog Name __________ I will need a bunk on Tuesday night because I am testing. Yes No A bunk will be provided Tuesday night at Camp Atterbury for those who will be testing. You may have to move on Wednesday to your permanent location for the seminar. Meals will not be provided on Tuesday or Wednesday. Only one (1) dog may be tested per handler per day. If you would like to test one dog in two disciplines, it would have to be on separate days. ON-SITE ACCOMMODATIONS Included in the registration price will be individual rooms with a community bathroom in each building. Each room will have one set of bunk beds. We will make every effort to house one person in each room, but at this time we are unable to make that guaranty. You will need to provide your own sheets, pillows, blankets, soap, toilet paper, etc. Also, you will need to sweep out each building, empty the trash and clean up on Sunday before you leave. Dogs in crates allowed in rooms. SEMINAR T-SHIRTS (Be sure to mark # of t-shirts and circle size(s)) I would like to order _____ seminar t-shirt(s) @ $10.00 each – Size: S M L XL 2 XL (Add cost of t-shirt(s) to registration check.) In Case of Emergency Contact: ________________________________________ Tele #: ___________________ Registration Fee T- Shirt Fee Evaluation Fee Total Check Enclosed ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ Mail to: NSDA 2014 Seminar c/o Jan Meyer 1123 Eagle Creek Road Wildwood, MO 63005 AGAIN THIS YEAR: If you know someone who would like to attend and be a helper (runner, subject, etc.), NSDA will provide meals and a bunk for that person and there will not be registration fee charged. Please distribute to friends, family and teammates. This will be on a first come, first serve basis. Helpers will be expected to help all day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and till noon on Sunday. Ask each helper to fill out form on page 6 and return to jmeyer@n-sda.org or snail mail to the address above. REGISTRATION Mail copy of registration form along with check payable to NSDA, current canine shot records (a minimum of Rabies, Distemper/Parvo, Bordetello vaccinations or titer within last month) and a signed NSDA Hold Harmless Form to: NSDA 2014 Seminar, 1123 Eagle Creek Road, Wildwood, MO 63005. Your registration will be acknowledged by email within two weeks of receipt. No registrations will be accepted after October 1, 2014, or after the classes are filled – whichever occurs first. Check or money order only – no PayPal accepted for registrations. No refunds after October 1, 2014. No partial registrations accepted. NSDA Area, Trailing and HRD Seminar, Camp Atterbury, October 9 – 12, 2014 Scenario/Challenge HRD Susie and Roy Ferguson *** Land HRD Lisa Higgins, LaSAR Area Sharon Jones, Virginia Search and Rescue Council Kim Veldheer, K-9 ONE Search and Rescue Trailing Mark Holmes, Detective CID Port Arthur, TX K-9 Handler Corbin Hodge, Instructor, United States Mantrailing Association Disaster Area Lillian Hardy, Indiana DHS, SAR Section Chief Ann Wichmann, SARDA Disaster HRD Deana Hudgins, Ohio Search and Recovery Canines *** The HRD scenarios are taken from real life searches and criminal investigations (for intermediate and advanced canine teams only). The focus of the class is to give the handler an opportunity to run real life problems. As a prerequisite, the K-9 must have a reliable, trained final response and sufficient training to run blind problems (building, ground, elevated, etc.). This will not be a teaching class. Check-in/Check-out Check-in and registration will begin Wednesday at 4:00 PM at the Search and Rescue Academy. Check-out will be 1:00 pm on Sunday. Address Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center; 3008 Old Hospital Rd.; Edinburgh, IN 46124 Valid driver’s license, auto registration and proof of current auto insurance required to enter Base. No one will be allowed on base if they did not register as an attendee or helper with NSDA. Auction If you would like to bring an item for the auction, please feel free to do so. Contact Information For additional registration information, please contact Jan Meyer jmeyer@n-sda.org RV Park Driftwood Camp Edinburgh, Indiana (812) 526-6422 $20 per night Facility Type (Private) No Tents Pets Welcome Sites Spaces Available (60) Max Length (60) 30 Amp 50 Amp Max Amps (50) Back-ins (27 x 60) Electric Hookups (12) Full Hookups (48) Grass Sites (30) Gravel Sites (30) Pull-thrus (12) Pull-thru Size (27 x 60) Side-by-Side Hookups Site Length (60) Water Hookups (12) Other Amenities & Services Restrooms Showers Table At Site Motels in Edinburgh Check individual motels for information regarding pets. All motels are on I-65 Exit 76 Best Western 11780 N US Highway 31 Hwy Edinburgh, IN 46124 812-526-9883 Hilton Garden Inn 12210 N Executive Drive Edinburgh, IN 46124 812-526-8600 Comfort Inn Holiday Inn Express & Suites 11711 N US 31 Edinburgh, IN 46124 812-526-9899 12225 N Executive Drive Edinburgh, IN 46124 812-526-4919 Hampton Inn 12161 N US 31 Edinburgh, IN 4612 812-526-5100 Acceptance of Risk NSDA 2014 Seminar, October 9-12 Held at Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana It is extremely important that you know and remember that your participation in search & rescue (SAR) operations and SAR-related training involves risk to you and your dog. The eventualities of personal property damage, bodily injury or death are real and so diverse that no one can specify everything that can go wrong. Please do not participate in these activities if you believe that they are perfectly safe. They are not! I am aware and accept that during the course of the activities in which I am participating at Camp Atterbury under the arrangement of NSDA or other individuals, organizations, corporations, or agencies coordinating activities with NSDA or their representatives, whether volunteering, working or attending the NSDA Seminar, that certain dangers exist to me and/or my dog, including the risks of injury or death. In consideration of and for the right to participate in such activities, I do, hereby, assume all of the above-mentioned risks and will hold and save harmless NSDA and its representatives, whether paid or volunteer, from any and all liability, claims and demands of every kind and nature whatsoever which may arise in connection with my participation or the participation of my dog in any of the above-mentioned activities. Additionally, I hereby consent to the administration of any emergency medical treatment which may be required, as determined by NSDA and its representatives, whether paid or volunteer, and will hold and save harmless, any person who procures or renders such medical treatment from any and all liability, claims or demands of every kind and nature whosoever, which may arise out of or be attributable to, the requesting of or performance of the above-mentioned medical treatment. The terms of this acceptance shall hereby serve as a release and assumption of risk for me, my heirs, executor, and administrator and for all members of my family, including any dependents or minors who accompany me or join me in participating in the above-mentioned activities. In executing this acceptance, I am not relying on any statements, promises, opinions or assurance, either expressed or implied, by NSDA and/or its representatives, whether paid or volunteer, concerning the conditions or circumstances I may or will encounter while participating in the above-mentioned activities. Additionally, I hereby certify that all of the information that I have submitted is true. I am aware and accept that any false statement made is reason for disciplinary action or termination of my right to participate in the above-mentioned activities. Date: Printed Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________ In case of emergency contact: _________________________________________ Telephone: _____________________ NSDA Helper Form 2014 Camp Atterbury, Indiana Please Print Legibly Name: Phone number: Address: City/State/Zip: Email Address: SAR Team Affiliation: In case of emergency please contact: Name/Phone number/Relation: Please be sure to dress for the weather (rain gear, boots, gloves, long pants, bug spray, etc.). We may ask you to sit in the woods for several hours each day. Please wear muted or dark color clothing. Valid driver’s license, auto registration and proof of current auto insurance required to enter Base. You will not be allowed on base if you did not register with NSDA. Email a completed form to jmeyer@n-sda.org prior to September 15, 2014, or mail to NSDA 2014 Seminar, c/o Jan Meyer, 1123 Eagle Creek Road, Wildwood, MO 63005. NSDA will provide you with meals beginning with Thursday breakfast through Sunday breakfast. We will also provide you with a bunk in which to sleep beginning Wednesday night through 1:00 pm on Sunday. You will need to bring your own sheets, blankets, pillow, soap, towel, shampoo, etc. Registration will begin at 4:00 on Wednesday, October 8, 2014. Thank you, in advance, for your help and support.