Search and Rescue

Before you call to schedule Search and Rescue (SAR) training, you should research the requirements and stressfulness of this community service. Many individuals believe that they can make money providing this service, but, other than expenses applied to tax forms, this service is normally provided to the community at no cost to the individuals in need. The use of most SAR work is at the request of law enforcement agencies.

The training and work involved with SAR will take you away from your family at odd hours of the day and night, and may require overnight stays, which generally places a hardship and stress on families. There are also personal expenses involved, such as special equipment for you and your dog, clothing, footwear, fuel, food, etc., which could strain some individual budgets. Discuss your intentions with your family and ensure your commitment prior to scheduling any training.

SAR training is available to individuals and groups who are committed to providing a community service. Training is also offered to individuals affiliated with law enforcement, and fire rescue. Each of the disciplines offered will require approximately six (6) weeks of training. Some of this training is vigorous and stressful. It is advisable to be in a good condition of health, as there are segments of training where running is mandatory. Training in the fields of recovery may prove mentally stressful to some individuals.

The individual disciplines involved in Search and Rescue training are:

• Tracking (Wilderness) - Instructions on tracking to the location of a specific individual(s) while disregarding all other scents that may be in the area. We teach you how to read your dog's body language and what the dog is doing.
• Tracking (Urban) - Instructions for tracking and locating specific individuals while in an urban or city environment.
• Articles - Instructions on following a specific individual's step-for-step track in order to locate any articles that may have been discarded.
• Cadaver (Land) - Instructions on how to locate deceased individuals. Also included is the safe handling and storage method of scent material required to work with your dog.
• Cadaver (Water) - Instructions on methods used to locate individuals that are under water, handler boating safety, and observance of the dog's actions while working from inside a boat, or from shoreline.
• Building (Live and Deceased) -Includes methods of locating individuals, reading air currents inside a closed building, precautions to be taken, and methods for clearing the building.
• Disaster (Live and Deceased) -Includes methods of locating individuals, live and deceased, in a rubble pile or downed buildings. Included are safety precautions and reading your dog's body language.

All disciplines are priced individually or may be bundled together for a complete course. Owners and handlers are required to attend classroom assignments in each of the disciplines offered in order to achieve proper results. We provide this service at our location or yours. Prior arrangements must be made for any of these disciplines.

All courses are pre-paid prior to the start of the course. For more information on training or scheduling, please utilize our Contact Form or call 985 892 6773 between the hours of 8 am and 9 pm CST. If we miss your call, leave us a message and we will respond within 24 hours. The facility is closed on Tuesday, Sunday, and Holidays.

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