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...
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...
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.
Sometimes we give up. Sometimes on SAR missions we return day after day, then week after week, without finding our lost person. The search is called off. Volunteers leave the scene in quiet resignation. Families leave the scene in despair. In the last six months here...
In November of 2020, a solo snow-shoer became lost while descending the Muir Snowfield on Mount Rainier. In the dark, ranger search teams climbed up in a snow storm, but were unable to locate him. The next morning, more search teams arrived, and in mid-afternoon the...
My very first article was published in a professional magazine (HRMagazine) almost exactly thirty years ago and it was titled: The Case For Valuing Diversity. At the time I was a young, idealistic first woman executive in a male-dominated utility and someone committed...
Search and rescue folks, like first responders, maintain an emotional distance from the pain of the families, but we still need to check ourselves now and then.