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 been deployed on have not had the positive outcome I had hoped for. But at least, even when those we find are dead, we sometimes bring knowledge and certainty. The families that suffer the most are those that are forced to live in ambiguity in all perpetuity.

Having lifesaving finds in our SAR careers is the ultimate payoff for the many hours we put in as unpaid, professional volunteers. You will hear SAR volunteers talk about “team finds.” When all is said and done we celebrate the effort of everybody that participated on a mission no matter in what capacity, not only the team that made the actual “find.”  While I wholeheartedly subscribe to the concept of “team celebration” the truth is that it is a very special experience to be on the team that has the actual find. And it has been such a joy for me to see how all members of our team/s (both our training org Cascadia Search Dogs and Mason County SAR) have been able to celebrate the recent lifesaving find made by Team Chris/K9 Makalu as they located a 73-year old subject who had been missing in the Pacific NW wilderness for four days in the cold temperatures typical for our Winters. He was found hypothermic and there is little doubt he would likely not have survived had he been left in the elements much longer.

Finding the missing and lost are the moments we live for,  particularly against the backdrop of reality: many K9 SAR teams can go a whole career without a find. Yet, our passion for what we do somehow fuels us to keep at it. https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/missing-man-found-alive-cold-near-his-home-west-of-port-angeles/?fbclid=IwAR1SG8a-dwEB5pcuQWq58nrGBuDeHcDVCxR3qsFWKCZdss_weWU7dxsUPX4

Thinking back, I recall the moment I found out the mission had a successful outome. When Ieaving the scene in the late afternoon, I felt sad. Still no clues and dark thoughts go through my mind. I spent the day slogging through grass and circumventing garbage beside a heavily trafficked highway with my two labrador retrievers, an unglamourous but necessary assignment.

I decided to check in with my team mates and could instantly tell Chris was beyond excited when I called him on his cell:  “We found him, Makalu and our Mason County Team found him.” My heart made a big leap. I felt sheer joy, perhaps my feelings were amplified because this find in some way symbolized something bigger, something beyond the actual find. For me this was the culmination of the several years my Cascadia Search Dogs team had worked tirelessly to resurface from a challenging time. I was silently appreciating our resilience:

• We stayed true to our values and principles.
• We never gave up.
• We never stopped believing in ourselves and our cause.
• We entered new territories and are breaking new paths.

Our team/s have continued to revel in this find for days. It is boosting morale, it is helping us bond, and it is motivating us to keep doing what we are doing. K9 search and rescue is a roller coaster of high highs and low lows, but in the end so very much worth it. A lifesaving find and hearing someone’s child say: “Thank you for saving my father’s life” is priceless. K9 Makalu will never quite know, but this day he made a HUGE difference in a family’s life.