Thanks for the compliment Vince <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> . I do know it takes a lot for me as well as the dog. It's physical and mental both for human and dog. I have some of Ed's tracking tapes. I'll have to review them to see which ones I have. It's been awhile since I've watched them. The problem I run into is not really time or money, but vicitms. It's hard for me to round up enough different people to be a victim. I want a variety of people not just the same family members over and over. If I am going to do SAR and I want to be able to practice on my own time as well as with the group.

Nice ideas Brendan.

Karmen,
Finding *subjects* is always a problem. You are right, the more variety the better, tho initially, it helps build drive if the dog is finding ppl he likes/knows and feels comfortable with. Once you join a team, you should have a steady supply of subjects, everyone has to take turns.
Here in SoCal, our nearest urban disaster group is a few hundred mi away, but I hear that they will travel pretty signficant distances if someone finds a pile of rubble they can use. These folks are dedicated, that is for sure.
I don't doubt that Karmen has sufficient drive for this work! But, the reality is she needs to consider whether she has access to a good team, an understanding employer/family, $$$ and can manage the physical demands of this kind of training.

Karmen,
Yes, it is important to use more than just family members, but Joy does make a good and very valid point about the dog finding people s/he likes. It's really important that your "subject" know how to act when the dog finds them, and know how and when it is appropriate to maybe throw you a curveball to keep you and your dog on your toes (only knowledgeable SAR people should do that).

Generally, if you do hook up with a group, the group may have access to hiders, such as members of the local Explorer Scout Post, high school students who need community service for their graduation requirements, or even THEIR family members that you don't know very well. You could bring one of your family members to hide for someone else's dog, and they could bring one of their family members to hide for your dog. Also, my group often hides for each other.

I generally train with my group once or twice a week, and use my family members once or twice a week. I have to pay my daughters to do it (just a couple bucks) but my husband volunteers his time.

I am very lucky to have a SAR group close. I was impressed with the people I went to visit. In fact two of them have been deployed (FEMA certified) to NY. I actually had met one of them through Schutzhund before I thought about SAR. I visited them a couple years back. Fortunately I have a job that allows me very flexible time. Thanks for the advice on getting subjects. My next question is for US&R. Does the handler have to be a medical technician? If so how do you go about doing that?

I guess that really depends upon your local certification requirements. Where I am, you must be certified in First Aid and CPR to do SAR, with or without a dog. You should check with the group that you're planning on training with.

FEMA has it's own set of rules, local SAR groups have another. To be certified for Urban Disaster, you must get FEMA certification. Check http://www.fema.gov.

A friend just sent me this. I think it says a lot that needs to be said.

I am a Rottweiler.

I was brought into this world by a loving breeder who has spent the last 30 years in loving dedication to my breed. I was trained by a man or woman, who has been equally dedicated to my breed.

Over the last few years, you have gotten e-mails from people who said I was vicious, because criminal humans made less than .0001 % of my breed into criminal dogs. And because human parents never taught their children how to respect and stay away from large animals of any kind.

You wanted my breeder to abandon her love and care of my breed. You wanted her to never make another dog like me. You wanted to keep me in a small pen and make me wear a muzzle. Some of you, wanted us all killed for no reason. I never growled at a human. I never attacked a human. But you said I was a potential danger and I needed to be destroyed.

You wanted the same done to my brothers and sisters in the working dog world. You came for the pit bulls, you came for the German Shepherds, you came for the Dobermans, and you came for us, the Rottweilers.

Today I sat at my master's feet in NY. The master you said was crazy to want a Rottweiler. We cried, but kept on working. You saw the sadness in my eyes. I was bred to work. I was trained to find. I search and I find. My reward is a scratch on the head and maybe a hug from the person I find, but those I find can't scratch my head. I cry. My fellow searchers have lost their lives falling in this rubble. My feet are cut by glass and metal. But my trainer and I keep searching. We are looking for your spouses, your children, your parents, your friends, your coworkers and your neighbors. I am risking the life you wished to deny me. I am doing what NO ONE else can. If I were not here, you would have no where else to turn for help or hope.

When you see my trainer and I sleeping on the sidewalk or climbing over the
mountain of rubble, because just one of your human lives is important to me, look into my eyes and remember the sacrifice and work that "dangerous"
dogs like me have done for thousands of years and think about a world
without me.

All I ask is let me live. Let my breeder continue to make it possible for dogs, like me, to give our lives for yours. In disasters, in wars, and just protecting your homes and families, for thousands of years to come.

Today's issue of The Wall Street Journal has an excellent front page article about the dogs working at The World Trade Center disaster site. Thought you guys would be interested in it if you weren't already aware of it.

Those dogs and handlers out there were absolutly wonderful. Unfortunatly there were some that were not qualified to be there. A dog handler team should be FEMA certified and be asked to go before showing up. I understand those others wanted to do all they could to help, but without the proper training and equipment they were making it more dangerous for themselves and their dogs. There were plenty of victims, we don't need more. Our team was called before the buildings collapsed, but we turned them down because noone is trained to go into a building that is damaged like that. However, if we had been called after the collapse we would probably have gone. The point is that even a trained SAR dog may not be able to do something like this.

Well, Stubby's mom, it's good to know that you and your team were able to put egos out of the way and do what was in the best interest of the victims. You are correct about FEMA, anyone deployed by that agency will have documentation. The only K9 teams legitimately on scene were LE K9 handlers and the FEMA teams. In fact, there was an incident in which an unqualified SAR handler/dog showed up, and got into a predicament that required the other rescuers to rescue them.