As search and rescue volunteers, some of our motivations differ, but any differences we may have are overshadowed by our common passion for finding the missing. We know we cannot always bring closure to families. Truth be told, more often than not missions I have...
I try to live my life with intention by establishing a "theme of the year" for myself, something I started doing many years ago as New Years Resolutions seldom did much for me. My theme in 2020 was "sisu" (yeh, look it up, it is powerful), and the year before was my...
One of the lesser known facts about the human remains detection (HRD) training we do with our dogs is that our K9 partners need exposure to full bodies in various stages of decomposition, preferably in a controlled environment with seasoned instructors that take us...
In early November, Jay Schreckengost, a respected Deputy Fire Chief in the Seattle Fire Department, went missing on a hunting trip in the mountains of eastern Washington. Suzanne, with K9s Keb and Kili, and Guy supported what would become one of the longest,...
I came into the world of K9 search and rescue suddenly and naively, with a vision of wanting to help improve the world in some way. It's the morning of September 11, 2001, and the phone rings. To my surprise, it's my big brother who calls all the way from Stockholm. I...
Writing our adventure memoir has been quite the journey, and a different journey than Guy and I expected when we first decided to write A Dog's Devotion together. Now that we are approaching the final phases of actually publishing and marketing our book, doing an...
Last month, I supported a search for a solo hiker missing for six days above the snowline in Skagit County, Washington. As the mountain rescue teams started working their way up into their assigned areas, I loaded into the Spokane Sheriff’s helicopter, along with the...
Most hikers don’t realize it, but when they head out on the trail or into the wilderness, they carry with them a Risk Profile. What’s your hiking risk profile?
When detecting human remains at sites like the OSO landslide K( SAR involves more than just dog training. Soil, water flow, age and depth of burials all play a role.
I began my SAR career focused on becoming the best K9 handler that I could be, Guy was drawn to the navigation and wilderness skills needed for SAR missions.