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-Deciding to be a SAR Dog handler- written by: Myshell Uhl from Beartooth Search Dogs (posted with permission) I’ve
heard it said that the decision to become a search dog handler is a difficult
one. But, is it really? If you are
even at the point that you would consider investing the time, energy and money
required to be involved in such an endeavor, you are way past the difficult
decision stage. I think you are now
at the point that you need all the information and advice that you can get,
quickly, in plain English and with a bunch of “happy exclamation points”
thrown in. We can always use more
“happy exclamation points”. Have
you decided on the kind of dog you are looking for, or have you found one?
Tons of information on dog breeds, breeders and suppliers along with
personality tests and profiles abound on the internet and within the search dog
community. Just check some of the links
on the Beartooth Search Dog web site. Talk
to anyone and everyone, but also evaluate what you want, don’t want, like and
dislike. Is a large German Shepherd
going to fit into your lifestyle, never mind your one bedroom apartment and
Volkswagen Beetle. Do you have the
energy to keep up with a Border Collie? Do
you have the gumption to stick in there with an “All-American” breed you got
from the pound – no lineage, papers or history to speak of. Considering that while most any dog will work as a search
dog, any dog may not be the “best” or “perfect” search dog either.
All dogs have noses and it is just a matter of teaching them how to use
it, the way that you want them to, in training them.
But, the amount of energy and heartache you want to experience will help
point you to a more or less traditional dog breed or type. Have
you joined your local search and rescue in addition to the dog unit you would
like to call yours? While training
your K-9 partner take advantage of working without a dog, learning as much as
you can about search and rescue techniques and getting experience.
In addition to knowledge and experience, you will be forging
relationships with those in the search community. These are the people that will help you, and those that you
will gain benefit from in your future as a K-9 handler. Along with the search experience you gain, you will also be
getting invaluable information on surviving in the wilderness, the supplies you
“need”, and the skills you can’t live without.
You will have the opportunity to refine and sharpen those you already
have, but more importantly, you will be working as one link of a team in the
large community of search and rescue, and setting your pace. Are
you prepared for the psychological ramifications that are involved in the
search? Have you invested in some
type of medical training for the inevitable medical or trauma scenario that you
will have to deal with at some point? Have
you thought about the search that turns into a body recovery?
Or worse yet, but very likely, the search that comes up empty handed. An additional part of your job may be dealing with the family
who in any search situation turn into “victims” themselves.
Refining your outward presence to one of unbiased compassion and caring,
avoiding any direct involvement in the crisis will be a skill you will find very
valuable. Always remember, what I
think is most important, to take what you are doing seriously, but even more
importantly not to take yourself too seriously. Have
you realized that the dog that you train will be a constant companion or
inevitably an extension of yourself for the first 1-2 years of training?
This is not the kind of pet that hangs in the backyard, that you take for
a walk periodically, but instead an animal that insists on playing, vies for a
pet or your attention. This is not
the mild mannered dog that curls up at your feet to snuggle. Has
your family prepared themselves? Husbands,
wives, children and friends alike will flee at the mere sight of you and your
dog. Avoiding hiding for you “just one more time”.
They too will have to deal with the late night emergency get ready to go
calls, and those just as often, stand down calls as soon as they have helped you
find that missing boot. Most
importantly, they will be entertaining themselves during your training time and
weekends away. All of this will
result in little reward for them. Instead,
their reward will be in the satisfactions of knowing that they have contributed
in their little way to that “find” that will hopefully one day be your
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