Wolf River K-9 Search & Rescue, Inc.

Wolf River K-9 SAR was founded in January of 2005. We are 6 members strong along with 7 certified canines and 3 in training. We all have a minimum of 6 years experience, with some having been in SAR for over 19 years!

We believe strongly in the community service we provide. Each one of us is a volunteer and therefore we are financially responsible for our own equipment, supplies, travel and training expenses. We are not paid for our services, but donations for equipment are accepted.The satisfaction of training our canines along with our own education in the search and rescue field to help assist in rescuing a lost child, hiker, or disoriented patient is its own reward.

Handler Criteria:

Handlers have the minimum of  NASAR Sar Tech II certification along with CPR, AED and first aid. We are trained in navigation and compass along with evidence and crime scene preservation. All our members must pass the NIMS (National Incident Mgmt. System) standards for search and rescue personnel. Our canines must pass standard certification for their discipline as outlined in canine NASAR standards before being search eligible. They also must have a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification. Typically a team (handler/canine) will train at a minimum of 20 hours per month for 1 - 1 1/2  years before they are search eligible.

Types of search dogs:

Trailing dogs- are trained to find a specific scent and follow it to the victim. A scent article is usually used and preferred in actual searches to give the dog a "clue" of the scent to find.

Air Scent dogs- are trained to focus their efforts on a specific area. The dogs follow scent in the air and typically work off lead.

Cadaver dogs- are trained to located human remains. The remains may be buried, hidden or underwater.