Since 1995, East Coast K9 Search and Rescue Inc., has provided quality and reliable, certified dogs and their handlers to locate missing persons in the wilderness, underwater, buried, in fire situations or collapsed structures to authorized police, park or fire agencies at no charge. We are a non-profit 501(c)3, all volunteer organization, primarily serving the state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Our volunteer Search and Rescue Dog team is available to respond anytime, day or night, to assist in the search effort.
Search dogs and their handlers are trained and certified through the National Search and Rescue Association (NASAR) and can find children who are lost in the wilderness, people who have wandered away from home or a health care facility, hunters/hikers, drowning victims, disaster victims and crime victims.
In 2007 we have assisted local authorities in 10 searches within Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia. But most importantly our group was able to deploy two members to the Pentagon during the aftermath of September 11th, 2001.
We also provide educational seminars on dog behavior, dog training, and search demonstrations to various organizations free of charge.
All humans, alive or dead, constantly emit microscopic particles bearing human scent. Millions of these particles are airborne and are carried by the wind for considerable distances. Our Air Scenting Search Dogs are trained to locate the scent of any human in a specific search area. The dogs are not restricted to the missing person’s track and can search for the person even years after they have been missing.
Search dogs can work in areas where other searchers have been, day or night, in most kinds of weather and in dark, densely wooded, heavy brush areas, in debris and under water.
Most handlers prefer to begin training a young puppy. However, an older dog may be more suitable if the dog is non-aggressive, has a good drive and a good working relationship with the owner.
Training requires dedication, commitment and normally takes a year to complete. The schedule includes meeting at least twice a month with the group as well as individual work between the handler and dog during the week, before the team is mission ready. After many hours of training, the dog and their handler are required to complete and pass several tests which are accredited by the National Search and Rescue Association (NASAR). The tests consist of a trail search, a night search and finally an all-day search with multiple ‘lost’ subjects.
In order to become certified, team members evaluate all search and rescue units in order to determine their search proficiency before fielding actual missions.
The rewards of helping the local authorities and the families find lost loved ones are indescribable.