Applications for scholarships to SAR K9 trainings are now open on the Calvary Canine Website.
This scholarship is for Search & Rescue K9 teams of any discipline.
Applicants must be a member in good standing with a search team and provide a supporting letter. Independent handlers may apply but must provide a letter from a deploying agency confirming their affiliation.
Up to 5 scholarships will be awarded per cycle. A minimum score of 70% of the total points is required to qualify.
K9 Keb, along with CSD Members Suzanne Elshult and Guy Mansfield, recently gave an educational presentation to the Seattle branch of SWEA (Swedish Women’s Education Association). While these 3 are on their book tour for A Dog’s Devotion, they are enjoying engaging the community and raising awareness about all the hard work that SAR volunteers, especially the K9s, do for their communities.
Suzanne reports that Keb very much enjoyed meeting all the lovely people, but her favorite part was getting to sample the Swedish meatballs.
Would you like CSD members to present to your group or organization about outdoor skills and what goes into Search and Rescue efforts? Simply reach out to us at info@csdk9.org for more information.
The 2023 ACVO/Epicur National Service Animal Eye Exam Event will be taking place during the month of May.
This event is a philanthropic event that provides free, ocular screening eye exams to qualified Service and Working Animals each May. These exams are provided by those members of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists who choose to participate and volunteer their time and resources.
Spots are limited. Registration will be open only April 1st – April 30th. Please be sure to review the qualifications prior to registration. Registration will not open prior to April 1, 2023.
CSD Member Chris along with K9 Makalu recently passed their National Search Dog Alliance Avalanche First Responder certification!
In addition to this certification, Chris and Makalu maintain third-party certifications in Wilderness Airscent with Large Source and Human Remains Detection Land & Water/Shoreline.
We are so proud of this team and all that they give back to the community.
We are pleased to bring Denise Alvord and Nick Hogden back to the Pacific Northwest for a 3 day “Trailing Foundations to Strengthen Accuracy and Performance” Workshop, April 1-3 in Snohomish County, WA.
This workshop will be limited to 10 working spots to ensure quality time for each K9 Team. Auditor spots will also be available.
Applications to attend will open mid-February so check back on our website Events page or on Facebook for the application form.
Join CSD Member Trina Eddy, owner and dog trainer at A Canine Experience Inc. to learn how to implement an effective fitness program for your SAR K9 in as little as 15 minutes a day, even if you are on the road. Program is March 1, 2023 at 3PM PST.
During this live Q&A you will learn the benefits of incorporating a fitness program into your K9 SAR training.
Learn how K9 SAR members receive 75% off fitness courses!
Proceeds support Cascadia Search Dogs mission to provide educational opportunities to SAR K9 Teams.
Recently CSD Members Suzanne Elshult and Guy Mansfield. accompanied by K9 Keb, did a presentation for employees at the Arc’teryx headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. They gave a formal presentation entitled “An Inside View of K9 Search and Rescue Teams: Making a Difference and Bringing Answers.” Afterwards they engaged in a lively discussion about their years of experience and lessons learned.
Part of our mission is to educate the public about outdoor safety and how volunteer search and rescue works. Our members (and dogs!) are available to do presentations and demonstrations to community groups. Contact us at info@csdk9.org.
As we leave 2022 behind and jump into 2023, we hope that you will take a moment to read our “Reflections” on this past year. You can read it here.
We are grateful to all who have supported us and we look forward to lots of new quality trainings in the New Year!
We are pleased to announce the election of our new Board Officers for 2023!
Janiece Miller, President
Candice Church, Vice President
Brenda Stone, Secretary
June Mansfield, Treasurer
We also added two new Board members to our existing roster – Kris Lesperance and Jessi Beyer.
We are grateful to the incredible work done by our outgoing President, Suzanne Elshult, over the past 4 years. Suzanne has led our organization since its founding in 2018 and has been the steady hand driving us to what we are today. Suzanne continues to serve on the Board as the Immediate Past President, and we look forward to the continued benefit of her wisdom, guidance, and sense of fun!
Suzanne Elshult and K9 Kili recently passed their National Search Dog Alliance recertification in Human Remains Detection. We are so proud of this dedicated and talented team!
Suzanne and K9 Kili also have a certification in Historical Human Remains Detection from the Canine Forensics Foundation.
All of our team members get their certifications through national organizations. This is important as national certifications confirm that a working dog is trained to a known high standard equivalent to other dogs at that level.
We are so honored to be selected for a grant from the Corey Borg-Massanari Foundation to support our Snow & Avalanche Training being held in January, 2023! This project is funded in part by the Initiative Foundation, a regional community foundation.
We are so grateful for this support that allows us to host exceptional trainers for our Snow & Avalanche Training. This also helps reduce the cost of attendance by Northwest K9 Teams looking to up their skills!
Thank you!
At a star-studded gala held in Palm Beach, Fl. on November 11, 2022, Shelter Dog Ethan was announced the 2022 Hero Dog Winner! You can read more of Ethan’s incredible story here.
Our very own Keb was announced as the winner in the Search and Rescue Category and was one of seven dogs competing for the overall title. You can see Keb’s video that was shown at the gala here.
We are so proud of all of the dogs that were nominated and competed for this award this year and truly believe that each and every one is a winner!
