Author: Webdog

♫ Come Fly with Me ♫

K9 Oso and Heather take to the sky! Thanks to the King County Sheriff Office Air Support Unit, KCSD recently had it’s 2018 helicopter training at Banderra airfield east of North Bend WA. All the dogs had a chance to practice loading into the helicopter with and without the engines running. The handlers and dogs then put on their harnesses and were hoisted up into Guardian 2 as it hovered 120 feet in the air. While it is a fun ride, it is serious business and on those occasions when helicopter transport is required KCSD dogs and handlers are ready […]

Gilly’s first find 🐾

Congratulations to K9 Gilly and handler Kris for locating a missing individual (alive and well!) this afternoon in Issaquah. It was Kris and Gilly’s first find as members of King County Search Dogs. Well done! 🐾♥️

We are looking for your help

Today is the Seattle Foundation’s “Give Big” day of supporting the great work done by our area’s non-profit organizations. Please consider King County Search Dogs when you make your donation. https://www.givebigseattle.org/kcsearchdogs We depend on the community we serve!

Congratulations Joan!

Something to really brag about: Joan Hitchner, one of the longest serving Members of King County Search Dogs, was selected as the Volunteer of the year by the King County Sheriff. Over 300 missions thus far in her 16 year career. We are very proud! Ed Christian, the distinguished gentleman on the right of the photo, is the King County Search and Rescue Coordinator and was recognized as King County Deputy of the year at the same ceremony. Wonderful tribute for King County SAR!

Want to learn to search?

King County Search Dogs is holding information sessions for new applicants on Wednesday March 14th and Wednesday March 28th from 7-8PM at the Mercer island Fire Station; 3030 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island. Come meet some of the Members of KCSD and learn more about the application process and training to be a search dogs handler or support specialist.

Thank You for your help!

K9 Zula and the rest of the King County Search Dogs want to thank everyone who donated during Seattle Foundation’s Give Big Day! We are very grateful for the generous help we receive from our community and supporters. If you missed Give Big day you can still contribute directly on our donation page.

Give Big Today

TODAY is your chance to help those who help keep you safe. King County Search Dog teams train over 5,000 hours a year to be ready to help find lost or injured hikers and alzheimer’s patients. KCSD is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit that depends on financial support from the community it serves. YOU CAN HELP by joining with the Seattle Foundation on its annual ‘Give Big’ day and making a tax-deductable donation to King County Search Dogs. It is easy to give to KCSD and many other King County charities on the Give Big website.  Your employer may even match your […]

Congratulations Oso!

K9 Oso and his handler Heather passed the KCSD airscent pre-test on Saturday finding both his ‘subjects’ in less than 90 minutes. The team is now available for missions within King County. Oso is an expert locksmith/escape artist as well as an up-and-coming search dog and is named after Oso, Washington where Heather participated in the search activities after the tragic 2014 landslide.

“Man’s best friend — and a lost hiker’s, too”

The Issaquah Times has a great write-up on the King County Search Dogs that describes many facets of the unit’s mission and training activities. It features Issaquah-resident Joan and her dog Artoo and includes a gallery of wonderful photos from one of our Wednesday evening training sessions.

Everyone had fun in Redmond

King County Search Dogs and Seattle Mountain Rescue visited the John Muir School in Redmond earlier this year. They read a story about search dogs as part of a reading promotion program and then did a demonstration where some of the dogs searched for teachers hiding in the playground. Everyone had a good time judging by the many thoughtful thank-you notes the children sent as you can see in the sample below. If you are interested in having King County Search Dogs participate in a program at your school please contact us at info@kcsearchdogs.org. Click here to see more thank you […]

New Certified Airscent Dog!

A big congratulations are in order for K9 Bailey and handler Robby for passing their airscent certification. Way to go!!! Robby and Bailey (a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) have been training with King County Search Dogs since 2013 and have been known to find an occational bear cub in addition to their search subjects. #kcsearchdogs #SARdogs

KCSD Featured in Podcast Interview

Listen to a great in-depth interview with KCSD’s current President Heather Jo Cutting being interviewed by Sean McDaniel on ‘The Dog’s Way” Podcast. Learn about: How and when King County Search Dogs are called out, What sort of dogs are good for searching in the pacific northwest, and the training required to be an effective search dog. You can hear the entire podcast using the embedded player below or by going to ‘The Dog’s Way’ website.