K9 Team

Meet Marsi, Lani, Kura, and Bonnie. Although they all have very human names, all four are canines with the New York State Task Force 2 Search & Rescue Team. These canines are trained in “live victim search” and play a very important role in the search & rescue environment. They have been deployed on various emergency incidents such as floods, house explosions and locating missing persons. The canines are matched to their  handlers who also are trained in canine search & rescue. These 4 “teams” of humans and canines are responsible for searching structures in the urban search & rescue environment, rubble piles from collapses, and urban and rural missing person searches in all types of terrain and weather.

The canines live with their handlers 24/7 and as such, retire with them. Not only are they working dogs, they are family to the handlers. They go on vacations, family outings and just about everywhere the handler goes. The handler is responsible for the canines’ health and overall wellness, whether at home or on a deployment. Monitoring the canine in the field for rest, injuries, stress and fatigue is very important. Something like a small cut on the paw can turn into a large problem if not taken care of properly.

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