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What it takes to be a search dog

Just recently, I have taken in a new foster dog that might make it as a search dog.  Mack is a 10 month old GSD/black lab mix that was just too much of a handful for his current owner.  Due to his constant digging and barking, they moved him to the back yard when he was about 5 months old and he had very little play or structure since then.  He’s currently 76lbs and definitely has his own idea on how the world works.  The majority of dogs get a new name when they go into a program to help give them a new lease on life, we named him Mack because he was so big and pushy…as in ‘Mack Truck’.

So what did I see in Mack to make me think he might make it as a search dog?  First, when he got out of the car, in a strange location, he walked right up to me and said hi.  He showed a little bit of leeriness, which is perfectly fine but no barking at me in fear or avoidance.   I picked up one of the many frisbees that I have and guess what, he wanted to play with me!  This is fantastic!  He was not overall dependent on his owner for courage, meaning his desire for his toy was greater than him being afraid of me, or of the location he was in.  He also would play tug with me, which is the best thing that could have possibly happened.

Next, we loaded him back up in the car, drove to a different location and got him back out.  We then pulled out two tennis balls and started throwing them in tall grass.  All he wanted to do was run after them and hunt for them in the tall grass, not giving up until he found one.  This is also a great sign!

So based on those couple of tests and his overall temperament we decided that if he didn’t make it as a disaster dog, he would be okay as a wilderness search dog.  So I loaded him the truck, with my 3 other dogs, and took him home!

The next day, I took him out to the rubble pile to see how he did.  Wouldn’t you know, he surprised me and chased a frisbee up onto all different aspects of the pile!  I don’t think he realized he had four feet but that didn’t keep him from running up there to get the toy.

We actually have a scoring system for how the dogs react and a specific directions, but I won’t bore you with those.  If you really would like to see them they are located at www.disasterdog.org.

In the last week, we’ve been working on him barking for a toy, which he now will do without a problem.  He even will bark at me for the toy, which is laying at my feet!  He also has some food guarding issues which we are working through.  However, I do think all the components are there and with some work, they will come shining through.

Dunder and Mack are playing well, I’ll be taking them both out to the rubble pile to train and work on skills.

Wags,

Robin

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Disastrous State of Disaster Planning

Are states prepared to deal with major catastrophes? This issue is tackled by James Carafano in his Washington Examiner Column. He writes:

Few states have even begun to address their requirements for catastrophic planning. Most lack the expertise and resources to undertake large-scale disaster planning. Most focus available resources on “everyday” disaster response: Vermont must plan for snowstorms, Hawaii for volcanic eruptions and California for earthquakes. They’re far less motivated to think about the wider menu of disasters, from biological plagues to dirty bombs.

Are things any better at the federal level? Carafano continues:

Even the federal effort has ground to a halt. The cats don’t like being herded. To make the job easier, the Department of Homeland Security tried grouping the 15 scenarios into a group of eight “scenario sets,” but other federal agencies still complained there were too many planning requirements.

In response to the disastrous state of disaster planning, the Obama White House has put the whole effort on hold while it “rethinks” the presidential directives requiring the agencies to do anything. That’s not good news.

If your emergency preparedness plan is to wait for your local and federal government to come and rescue you, this report on the state of things should change your thinking. Preparedness is your individual and family responsibility, and you should buy the kits you need and take the right steps to ensure you and your family’s safety.

Source:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Preparation-means-planning-ahead-of-time-8655242-79171502.html

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Lasting Impact of Power Failures

Losing power when you least expect it and when you’re unprepared can have a lasting effect. Two small towns in Massachusetts celebrated the anniversary of an ice storm that left them without power for an extended period. The Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports:

Residents of Lunenburg and Fitchburg are still talking about what happened to them after losing power for up to two weeks; area artists have created paintings and other objets d’art at the Rollstone Studios; the Fitchburg Senior Center held an Icebreaker Party; and yesterday, protesters picketed Unitil headquarters; and the Lunenburg Firefighters Association held a community event at the fire station, giving away free emergency starter kits.

“I was friendly with my neighbors before, but now we are friends,” Mr. [Jay] Rinaldi added.

He was without power for 11 days and had to cancel classes he taught in Boston. And he not only used his fireplace to keep his house warm, but also cooked pizza over that fire.

If you’re renting an apartment, you may not have the luxury of a woodstove or fireplace in your apartment. What will you do for heat and food? Homeowners also have to think through how they will get enough food, water and heat to stay alive. Do you have the supplies you need for a 2 week power failure?

Source:
http://www.telegram.com/article/20091213/NEWS/912130420/0/NEWS03

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A Sad Reminder about House Fires

House fires can be devastating to families. Even if no deaths occur, you can be emotionally traumatized by the loss of precious items burned in the fire. The following story reported by the Olympian is another sad reminder of the need to be prepared for fires:

Jerry Gilliland’s home on Walnut Loop on Olympia’s west side was destroyed Thursday night, most likely after a candle in the living room fell from a wall sconce, he said.

Gilliland lived at the home with his wife, daughter and son-in-law, as well as two granddaughters, ages 8 and 6. All six family members made it out of the home after a smoke detector alerted them to the blaze a little after 7 p.m., but the family’s beagle, Ivy, died, Gilliland said.

Gilliland was back at his home Friday afternoon, trying to salvage any belongings that hadn’t been destroyed. He said he was able to save precious little, including jewelry and family photos from the home, where he has lived since 1987.

You can learn from this story by doing what you can now to prevent future loss because of a fire. For example, put all valuable documents, jewelry and other items in a fire and water proof safe. Store the safe with your home survival kit so that you can evacuate with them both.

Source:
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1068278.html

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Emergency Responders General Preparedness Personal Stories Uncategorized

The Best Gift of the Evening

My daughter is one of those kids for whom it is always difficult to buy a gift. I say “kid,” but she is 23 years old, a Flair Bartender (think Tom Cruise in “Cocktail”) and a Paramedic. She has been self-supporting for years and as a single working woman, has the luxury of being able to buy, what she wants cash when she wants it. When her birthday came around this year, she told me she wanted a toolbox (with Sears Craftsman tools) and a 72-hour Go-Pak.

Now before you think that this is a set-up, you must realize that I am the author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Disaster Preparedness” (www.TheCompleteIdiotsGuide2DisasterPrep.com) and my youngest child has had a 72-hour Go-Pak since he was 5 years old. My daughter’s interest was not in just any Go-Pak, but in the best one that I had reviewed while I wrote the book. As an author and researcher, I also never write product endorsements, only factual reports.

As soon as my daughter opened her gifts, the Go-Pak had everyone’s attention. The backpack was opened and everything in the Go-Pak passed around by her firefighter colleagues. The Go-Pak she received was the 1800Prepare/Guardian adult 3-day disaster kit. This kit comes in a substantial bright red backpack. The Go-Pak comes “out of the box” with everything except your important documents, prescription medications and spare clothing. I do recommend adding 2 additional chem-lite sticks and a USB data drive for photos and medical records. The 1800Prepare website (www.1800prepare.com) has a complete inventory of the items in this Go-Pak. For me, the coolest item in the kit was the “Tube Tent.” This tent does not require poles and can be used as a tarp, tent or even a rain poncho should the poncho included in the Go-Pak be lost or damaged.

My daughter got her toolbox (with tools) too. Although she loves to tinker and her firefighter friends plan to borrow her tools often (at least so they said at her party), the best gift of the evening was her 72 hour Go-Pak. Every firefighter at the party asked me where they could get one like it and plan on giving them for gifts this year.

For years, I have encouraged everyone to give 72 hour Go-Paks to every family member as a gift. I am proud to say that as the result of this one gift, one major city’s fire/rescue service will begin giving this most important gift of preparedness.

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Emergency Responders General Preparedness Uncategorized

Search dogs in the world of disasters

Greetings to all,

As you think about disasters, being personally prepared is extremely important and I’m glad to see all the posts that are coming into the site. Keep in mind, many of the people you may deal with in disaster situations (including Katrina and tornadoes) are volunteers.

Many people do not realize it, but 95% of the search and rescue dog handlers out there are volunteers. They spend their own time and money training/certifying and even deploying to disasters. Only the federal FEMA teams and some of the state disaster teams have paid positions. However, you still only get paid for deployments, NOT for training.

This weekend, Dunder and I are off to some training and will be posting a few pictures next week of what we are doing. Dunder is a 16 month old yellow lab/golden retriever cross that was found in a shelter. We will be attending ‘drive’ training. (no he isn’t learning how to drive…he’s learning to want his toy more!) Basically, we are going to go play tug and let him bark at people. For us this is fun, for lots of other people they would find that annoying.

We do this type of training because a search dog’s job has to be fun for them, or they won’t do it well. Nintey percent of what I do is spend time trying to make the ‘training’ that Dunder and I do fun. It’s all a game to him with the biggest reward being that game of tug at the end. (I bet your boss wished you worked for something that cheap.)

Wags!

Robin and K9 Dunder (search dog in training)

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