Non-profit of the month: March 2008 - Search Dog Foundation

On the right hand column, I have two button/ad sized links to non-profits. One of them is to the Search Dog Foundation.

I came to know about the Search Dog Foundation because of Hurricane Katrina.

Their mission, straight from their home page:

The mission of the Search Dog Foundation is to produce the most highly trained canine disaster search teams in the nation. The job of these teams is to find people buried alive in the wreckage of natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

Check out their FAQ to learn more about what they do and what it takes to train a search dog. Here are some excerpts:

SDF recruits dogs from across the country that are rescued from abuse or abandonment. Typically these dogs demonstrate high energy, tenacity and boldness, making them ideal for search and rescue, but unsuitable for a family pet. After passing stringent screening and testing criteria, the dogs are then trained to harness that high energy, drive and tenacity into life-saving skills.
.........
When the dogs are ready (and not before), they receive six months of professional training before being teamed with a handler. Since the dog comes to the handler completely trained, the time it takes for the handler/dog search team to attain FEMA Advanced Certification is significantly reduced. A process that often took two or more years now takes 11 to 14 months.

How long does it take to train a dog?

The initial cost to create one canine-firefighter team is $10,000 for the following.

Canine Recruitment and Prep Home Stay for evaluation and socialization (1 to 2 months);
Canine Boot Camp (6 to 8 months);
Handler’ Course (14 days);
First Year Training toward Certification (1-2 years);
Ongoing Training to maintain top deployment readiness (8 years);
Lifetime Care in a loving home upon retirement.
The firefighters can’t do this without their dogs, and we can’t do this without your help. Your tax-deductible gift, small or large, will help fuel the hope that people count on in time of need.

If you can, please support these unsung heroes who train up dogs to serve this vital role in search and rescue operations.

Hurricane Relief Efforts

Support the trainers of Search Dogs!!

UPDATE: I've received an email from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. They shared some information about their organization and their role in the current rescue efforts. Summarizing:

As of August 31, 18 Urban Search and Rescue (USR) teams have been dispatched to the area. 26 of the dogs in these teams were trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (NDSDF). This will be the largest USR effort in the United States since 9/11.

These specially trained dogs are highly mobile in the rough terrain of a disaster site. They can quickly cover areas and using their keen sense of smell determine if anyone is still alive so they can be rescued.

NDSDR trains dogs and provides them at no cost to fire departments and other emergency service agencies.

To find out more about them and donate to their efforts, see their Website: www.SearchDogFoundation.org or call 1-888-4K9-HERO.


There are two charities I have donated to in response to the terrible events in the South.

Was listening to KFWB-980AM news and they had a feature story on a team of search dogs that will be sent to the area.

UPDATE: I missed part of the news story when it was aired. I've since heard various other news items pertaining to LA response to the hurricane. I think the full story is that one of the LA County Search and Rescue teams are being sent and that team includes search and rescue dogs. The team will be driving to the scene with equipment and supplies. The trip will take over 30 hours of driving. They didn't fly in because cargo flights are all tied up bringing in food and water and temporary shelters.

The group that trains dogs for these kinds of missions is the Search Dog Foundation. From their web page:

The mission of the Search Dog Foundation is to produce the most highly trained canine disaster search teams in the nation. The job of these teams is to find people buried alive in the wreckage of natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

UPDATE: Scrapability (Michelle in the UK) is also profiling Search Dog Foundation.

UPDATE: Jenny of A Jester Unemployed has mentioned Search Dog Foundation in her Blog for Relief Day post.

On KRLA-870AM they are encouraging listeners to support, Feed the Children.

The blogosphere is rallying to get information out. Check out Glenn Reynold's round-up of agencies over at Instapundit. Also, check on Malkin's round-up of the ways bloggers can get involved in being an information source. She also mentions which big businesses are stepping up and which ones aren't.

Instapundit will coordinate a day of fundraising on the blogsphere. Here is his statement:

The plan for tomorrow's (Thursday September 1) flood-aid blogburst: I'd like each blogger participating to put up a post recommending a charity, or other action to help, and linking back to this post where I'll keep a comprehensive list of both bloggers and charities. Basically, a Carnival of Hurricane Relief. That way readers of any blog will have ready access to recommendations on all the blogs. If anyone has a better idea, let me know.

Truth Laid Bear is also keeping a list of bloggers and the charities they are highlighting.

Non-profit of the Month: February 2010 - Search Dog Foundation

image source: http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/98/html/gallery/2010/GulfportJimRecon.JPG

Have been a supporter of the Search Dog Foundation since 2005.


image source: http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/98/html/gallery/2010/9-11RobCimaHarley9-14-01.jpg

Why are search dogs needed?
From SDF FAQ:
After a disaster, when buildings have crumbled to the ground, dogs can search much more quickly and safely than people can. By training on simulated rubble piles where volunteer victims are hiding, the canines and their handlers prepare themselves to find people who would otherwise remain buried. A disaster search dog must learn to crawl through tunnels, walk up and down ladders, and walk on wobbly surfaces and over debris and rubble. The dog must be able to go in a direction that its handler has signaled and stop and wait for instructions.

See the video profiles of the work SDF is doing.

Newman's Own Foundation has offered a $100,000 challenge grant to SDF.

As such, I'm contributing this month to SDF and am encouraging RR readers to consider supporting them as well. Thanks!

Search Dog Foundation Trained Teams on the Scene

Check out this page to see the teams deployed in Urban Search and Rescue.

It takes about $10,000 to train a dog to serve in these vital teams.

Go here to donate.

UPDATE: Sherry has contributed to Red Cross and Search Dog Foundation.

UPDATE: Professor Bainbridge has posted in support of the Search Dog Foundation!

Support Hurricane Relief

If you haven't done so already, please consider supporting any number of organizations such as:

Search Dog Foundation--they train dogs for Urban Search and Rescue Teams.

Feed the Children--they do exactly that and they are trucking in supplies with the help of corporate partners.

Red Cross--they are the biggest and are on the scene.

If you are part of a religious community, consider giving to an organization associated with it. I'm currently a member at a Presbyterian Church. Thus, I'll give some support to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Hugh Hewitt gives some good reasons why: Churches are always excellent conduits to the communities they serve, and can be trusted to be judicious yet generous with the aid they are provided. I will be recommending to my Presbyterian Church session that we offer to "adopt" a sister congregation like, say, The First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans, and send aid via that church.
.............
Institution-to-institution relief will be the long term solution once the short term humanitarian crisis passes.

Check out what the Hands On Network is doing. They are partnering with the Red Cross in Montgomery and Baton Rouge.

I've been a supporter of their affiliates in the cities I've lived in: Greater DC Cares, Hands on Bay Area (formerly Hands on San Francisco) and LA Works.

Major League Baseball will be collecting money for relief in ballparks on September 7th and will match up to $1 million. LA Works will be helping at Dodger's Stadium to collect funds during games on September 5-7.

California League Minor League Baseball teams in the Southland are contributing as well: Lancaster Jethawks, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Lake Elsinore Storm and Inland Empire 66ers have been collecting for the Red Cross and have said they will match up to $10,000. I'm surprised to see that the High Desert Mavericks have no such indications on their web page. I hope that is just an oversight by their web master.

To find other agencies check Glenn Reynold's round-up of agencies over at Instapundit.

Also check Truth Laid Bear's list of charities.