Category: in memoriam

💔 K9 Lincoln’s search bells have gone silent

Heartbroken: K9 Lincoln died peacefully last week after a remarkable life of service, achievement, and wholehearted joy. An energetic Flat-Coated Retriever, Lincoln was an exceptional search dog with an unforgettable personality who always greeted the search subjects he found with a large ‘kiss’. He responded to over 150 search missions and had KCSD and NSDA certifications in wilderness airscent and human remains detection. In 2022, he received the AKC Search and Rescue Award for Canine Excellence for some of his finds. He represented search and rescue dogs before a national audience on ABC and ESPN, bringing his unmistakable enthusiasm to […]

Farewell to a K9 Superstar

💔 K9 Natick Wilderness Searcher: 9/2/2012-4/25/2026. It’s what happens in that dash between the years that counts: Natick began his introduction to KCSD at 8 weeks, certified in wilderness airscent at 21 months and deployed on first official mission a week later. In 2015 he helped find a camper who was reported missing but wasn’t actually lost and in 2016 helped find a father and son from Germany visiting our region who got lost on a hike in the Alpine Lakes. Natick added certifications in Cadaver and Human Remains Detection through KCSD and NSDA. Throughout his career he helped make […]

Double Heartbreak

Tragedy can strike without warning or mercy: We are heartbroken to share that K9 Max died suddenly last week. Max was a beloved 7 year old long-haired German Shepherd; a gentle giant whose thick coat made him appear much larger than his 90 lbs. A highly accomplished search dog, Max was certified in airscent, land and water human remains, crime scene and successfully located the lost on more than one occasion. Max and his handler Linda responded frequently to searches across western Washington where they earned the love and respect of many in the SAR community. Watching Linda and Max […]

Farewell K9 Oso

We grieve: K9 Oso died peacefully at home last week after a conspiracy of health problems overtook him far too young. Named in honor of the tragic 2014 Snohomish County landslide where his handler Heather Jo Cutting worked along side so many other rescuers, K9 Oso lived up to his name responding to over 160 search missions and making several important finds during his career. He earned KCSD and National Search Dog Alliance certifications in airscent and human remains detection and also used those skills searching from boats and in the snow. Whether jumping out of a helicopter at first […]

There are no words…💔

King County Search Dogs mourns the loss of a legend. K9 Jackson, known to all as “Jack!”, died suddenly last week after a decade of service to our community. Full of life and a bit full of himself, Jack was a beautiful German Shepherd Dog who was certified in wilderness airscent and human remains detection. Jack was an instant hero when he found a missing 9 year old girl on his very first search. He was so happy to find her and so eager to play that it startled the girl and other searchers had to chase after her while […]

Our hearts are broken. 💔

K9 Ruby died after a tragic accident while off duty on Saturday. Ruby was at the very beginning of her search dog career having passed her airscent certification test with flying colors earlier this month. A non-stop tail wagger, Ruby was a gorgeous three year old Dutch Shepherd with infectious enthusiasm who loved to work and loved to play. Ruby was a formidable search team with her handler Jonathan who joined King County Search Dogs in 2006 and has deployed on over 240 search missions throughout Washington. Please join us in sending condolences to Jonathan and give your puppies an […]

Sad Update

King County Search Dogs has lost a trailing great. mADDee was a trailing standard bearer and deployed on over 100 search missions with her handler Joanne during her 13 year career. mADDee had an exuberant and infectious working drive. She introduced countless KCSD recruits to the real meaning of ‘running’ a trail yet she often counted her out of breath support team at intersections to make sure she hadn’t lost anyone. mADDee seemed to have even more fun working when the conditions were harsh. She is fondly remembered having a great time blasting along training trails in heavy sleet with […]

K9 Carlo 6/23/2007 – 2/2/2019

With heavy hearts we say goodbye to K9 Carlo after nearly ten years with KCSD. Carlo was certified in trailing and human remains detection and was unit co-founder Andy Rebmann’s 11th working dog and 7th German Shepherd partner. Carlo had a larger than life personality and was unwavering in his adoration for the human on the other end of the leash. Carlo assisted on dozens of evidence and missing persons searches, and kept Andy on his toes both at home and in the field. And while we continue to feel the loss of Carlo, the legacy this partnership leaves behind […]