Dog Talk

The official unofficial newsletter for FEMA dog handlers
September 2002 - Volume 5, Number 4

From The Editor

9/11/02 will be a day that the world will remember forever. But as time passes, we forget the many lessons we learned from that event. The news will again barrage us with replays of that tragic day. Ed Evans, a retired US Marine said: "I will force myself to: hear the weeping, feel the helplessness, imagine the terror, sense the panic, smell the burning flesh, experience the loss, and remember the hatred."

He also said, "We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living." 

I will not pretend to understand. I will not forget.

Other News: 

Farewell to a Hero

On Tuesday, July 23rd, Officer Bob Schnelle said goodbye to "Zeus" his long-time partner and companion. A cancerous tumor on the German Shepherd's spleen suddenly ruptured and caused the internal bleeding that claimed his life. The 11-year old dog was the first FEMA-certified dog on the New York Task Force, and did both patrol work and search and rescue. Bob and "Zeus" participated in both the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1996, as well as performing countless other searches.

"Zeus" will be missed by us all - his family, the New York Police Department, and the many of us that had the opportunity to work with this dog during his extraordinary career.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Handlers,

It is with great sadness that we inform you that "Anna" Atlas, a NJ-TF1 SAR dog that some of you may know from the WTC deployment last fall, was humanely euthanized last Friday, August 2, 2002. Anna, a German Shepherd, had been treated for bacterial discospondylitis that appeared to progress to a fungal infection of the disc spaces and the vertebrae of the spine. She was being treated by Dr. Otto here at the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania. Final results are still pending.

However, due to preliminary results, poor prognosis and severe pain, the decision was made by Sarah and Dr. Otto to euthanize Anna. At this point, we do not believe that this condition was related to her work at the WTC.

However, we are keeping our eyes and ears open as we continue to collect data for the study and we will keep you informed of any new developments. Likewise, please don't hesitate to contact web author with any information that you think would be relevant or to help dispel any rumors you may have heard.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Amanda Downend and Dr. Cindy Otto

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Attention Travelers

The AKC has learned that American Airlines is implementing a new policy  prohibiting the shipment of Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers and any mixed-breeds containing one or more of these breeds. The AKC believes this policy will unfairly punish many responsible dog owners and has written to the airline to voice its concerns. 

The AKC strongly opposes any policy that determines a dog to be "dangerous" based on specific breeds or phenotypic classes of dogs. Regulations should not be based on breed identify. A dog's behavior, and not its breed, should determine whether it is accepted for air shipment.

The AKC is urging American Airlines to reconsider its breed-specific policy, and we encourage dog owners to contact the airline to request the same. 

AKC urges dog owners to email opposition comments to the president of American Airlines at GerardArpey@AA.com.

Mailing address: Gerard Arpey, President American Airlines, P.O. Box 619612, 
Mail Drop 2400, DFW Airport, TX 75261-9612

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Free Dog Food

FEMA Certified handlers are welcome to receive vouchers for Nutro Dog Food free of charge. The Nutro Products Company has made vouchers available and the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation will send the vouchers out quarterly. Please E mail Miki@SearchDogsUSA.com  in order to receive 40 lb. bags of Nutro Food free of charge. Miki will need your name, mailing address, E mail and the date and place that you were certified as either Type I or Type II. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come As You Are"

On August 23-26, 2002, COTF1 canine handlers held a national "come as you are" practice session, with an open invitation to all task force canine folks. Canine handlers from New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Colorado descended on Denver for a fabulous training session. In July, Colorado's team decided they would sponsor this low-maintenance affair, with invitees completely responsible for their accommodations both on and off site, including water, food, etc. Red Roof Inn and a nearby Bennigan's gave some discounts.

Denver's rubble pile, north of DIA (Denver Int'l Airport), is a vast moonscape of concrete rubble, including giant highway slabs and regular pieces, with the added feature of a nearby airport runway as an excellent distraction tool. Additionally, COTF1 handlers have the current use of an abandoned multiple building site, complete with an extensive tunnel system. Only K-9 USAR folks would consider these real estate parcels as beauties … yes, we are a unique bunch.

Saturday practice included Rubble and Building and Night Searches!!!!

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rubble. Everyone had plenty of training opportunities to set up fresh problems with new victims, and to share those golden training tips from outside handlers. Dogs and handlers ranged from old-hands to new pups. Cold-shots and multiple victim searches abounded. There were motivational runaways and callouts for the youngsters, and callouts and pop-ups interspersed for the more experienced dogs, who quickly developed big grins and quick tilt-forward ears on a rolling 4-victim exercise when hidden victim 2 called out, and even more when Jeaneen stood and whooped it up as victim 3 before ducking into a hole on the crest of the pile. "Holy Cow-I'm really gonna get to do this??!! I'm a puppy again-YAHOO!!" It was renewing for ALL participants.

3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Building Searches at Ridge Home, an abandoned multiple building mental health facility (scary stories anyone??). A slide entrance into the basement and the tunnels were new for most, and the training was great. The facility is so large that we were able to split up into 5 groups (yes, everyone brought their own walkabout radios) and search to our hearts' content in several buildings.

7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Night Searching on the Rubble, back to DIA and the huge rubble slabs. Ann Wichmann (you go girl!) arranged for Boulder Emergency Services to huge generator lights, which lit up an entire end of the rubble pile. Groups worked in three separate areas simultaneously. In the eerie half-darkness, dogs and handlers experienced the hazards of void recognition and depth perception changes in the night scenario. Rubble walkers' two points of contact changed to three points; and, three points of contact changed to four (butt included), as folks traversed the shadowed rubble (Wouldn't we just love to have our canine partners' 4WD?). As South-facing handlers stood high on the rubble with our unique outline formed by hardhats headlamps kneepads and eyewear, Mother Nature treated us to an orange full moon rising on the eastern horizon, followed by a spectacular fireworks display to the west in far-off downtown Denver.

Sunday morning 9 a.m. -- back to the rubble. The younger dogs were plenty tired; the older dogs (two and four-legged) were tired but still searching, not wanting to miss an opportunity to work on the "big stuff" with so many "new meat" victims. By 2 p.m. participants were on the road, on the plane, or on their way, each with the memory of a weekend FILLED with training insights, camaraderie, special laughter [e.g., Mary Flood shoving her gloved hand under a slab to give the victim Jake's food reward while Jake is barking in the victim's face, and the victim, with clenched teeth, telling Mary "that's MY mouth you're shoving it in, just drop it in my hand!"].

A challenge to other teams -- "IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME." Colorado's "come as you are" practice was "quick, down, and dirty" and it worked out great! No injuries (usual bruising, lost cell phone in the pile, etc.) and great learning. Our FEMA canine teams are always looking for training in new places with new folks, and with a little effort a low-maintenance training can be a high-standard contribution.

Bonnie Schriner and Delta
COTF1

P. S. Friday 8/23 and early 8/24 we held FEMA Type II certification tests, which resulted in 2 new teams, 2 re-certifications, and several successful pre-tests for others.

Internet Interests:

While the dogs are licking their feet, go to:

http://www.icsinternet.com/sarstore/
Search and Rescue Equipment for Canine, Water, Wilderness and Urban SAR Teams.

Check out USEFUL FORMS!!!!  http://www.disasterdog.org/forms.htm
Here you will find the FEMA Debriefing Site Map Form.

COMING SOON TO THE WEBSITE…
FEMA is in the process of compiling a database of the certified disaster search teams. You can now download here on this website and print out 5 jpg documents, completely fill them out and mail them to:

Lynne Engelbert
19327 Northampton Dr.
Saratoga, CA 95070-3330

Taking the time to complete these forms will assure an accurate database.

Return to top of page

TEST INFORMATION

September 7, 2002 Seattle/Tacoma, WA Type II Testing 

Send your application to Keith Davis, 10102 257th St Ct E Graham, WA 98338 or fax it to Jacquie Bushway-Speer at 425.889.4123. Cost $25.00 payable to WATF-1. Deadline was 8/24/02


September 28 - 29, 2002 Beverly, MASS Type II Testing 

The fee for our test will be $75.00 which includes all meals except for Saturday night's dinner. There will be a cookout Friday night as a welcome. (Coffee, bagels, box lunch, fruit, water, etc. available)
Transportation will be provided at the site of the test.

Contact Mark Dawson for further information: 
Home (203) 629-2557 Work (203) 622-8087 Pager (860) 504-0295 Cell (203) 253-4795
Fax (203) 862-8913.  Email MWDRescue503@worldnet.att.net


NOTE NEW DATE!!!!!!!!!
October 26 - 27, 2002 Miami, FL Type II Testing

Application deadline for the October 26-27 test will be Sept. 30, 2002. 
Mail to: Sylvia Arango
Canine Coordinator
FL-TF2 FEMA - USAR
City of Miami Fire Rescue
3425 Jefferson St.
Coconut Grove, Fl 33133
NO applications will be accepted following the 9/30/02 deadline!


November 22-24, 2002 Fairfax, Virginia Type II Testing

Contact Sonja Heritage at: 301.464.4451 or via email atottodial@aol.com 
for further test info

2002 California Test Schedule:

November 16-17, Southern CA area, deadline for applications is October 7.

Applications, with a $25 testing fee attached can be sent to: Lynne Engelbert, 19327 Northampton Dr., Saratoga, CA 95070-3330. Checks should be made out to: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation or NDSDF with CSSWG Account indicated on the "memo" line.

CA and re-certifying (CA & out-of-state) teams have priority with out-of-state testing teams welcome to fill remaining slots, if available.

For information on California tests, contact: Lynne Engelbert 
FAX (650) 604-7051 or (650) 604-0994 
Work - (650) 604-3112 
Home - (408) 257-1784 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The National Certification List of FEMA Certified Disaster Canine Search Teams is provided by Lynne Engelbert. (Lynne's e-mail: lengelbert@mail.arc.nasa.gov) It is available on this web page.  To view it click here.

Return to top of page

KUDOS TO.......

The National Certification List of FEMA Certified Disaster Canine Search Teams is provided by Lynne Engelbert. (Lynne's e-mail: lengelbert@mail.arc.nasa.gov) It's available on this web site.

DOGTALK is pleased to announce that the following Canine Search Teams have recently gained certification (or re-certification) as FEMA US&R Type II Canine Search Specialists:

Denver, CO Results - August 2002

Type II Certified: 

Bonnie Schriner & "Delta" (COTF-1)
Julie Noyes & "Hoke" (COTF-1)
Mary Flood & "Jake" (UTTF-1)
Mike Blaylock & "Ginger" (COTF-1)
Jeaneen McKinney & "Aja" (NMTF-1)

Return to top of page

UPCOMING SEMINAR:

Attention Scholars:

There will be a Canine Search Specialist School from Oct 30 to Nov 3, 2002 at Disaster City, College Station, TX. A few openings are available.

Students will stay in a realistic deployment situation: task force tents with cots and meals will be provided. The cost is $500 per student. If interested email Susann Brown at susann@susannbrown.com .

Return to top of page

ROTATIONAL SCHEDULE

Are your bags packed????

"First Out" (after the 3 closest teams..) on the US&R rotational schedule are:

August - INTF-1, MDTF-1 and CATF
September - MOTF-1, FLTF-2 and CATF
October - TXTF-1, OHTF-1 and CATF
November - UTTF-1, NYTF-1 and CATF
December - AZTF-1, FLTF-1 and CATF

The Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force is currently accepting applications for the position of K-9 Search Specialist.  In addition to an application packet, persons wishing to be considered for these open positions MUST live within a reasonable driving distance of Harrisburg, PA and MUST participate in a K-9 Team evaluation on Saturday Sept. 8th, 2001.

The evaluation for which applicants will be tested is the FEMA TYPE II CANINE EVALUATION.  The evaluation will be administered through Task Force personnel with FEMA qualified evaluators.

Application packets can be obtained through the Task Force Office at the following address:

Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 
c/o FEMA
PO Box 3321
Harrisburg, PA  17105-3321
Attn.: Program Manager
Or via the Internet at: mpeterson@state.pa.us

Return to top of page

FEMA K9 SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT

Have you all seen the applications for sponsorship by the HSUS? All of the Task Forces should have received them and they are also posted on the website. HSUS is providing money for training for chosen individuals that meet their criteria. Check it out.

Woe is California--they have many things in the works, including tests and a CSST course, but they are awaiting the jumpstart of a stalled budget. No team will be penalized because of the cancelled August test. Those who applied will have their certification extended until the next test (Sept?), if needed. Speaking of the CSST courses, in answer to the numerous requests (and our pleadings) FEMA has allotted funding for two such courses in the upcoming fiscal year. When and where TBD.

Type I evaluators and testees--we now have a mapping system to be implemented on Type I evaluations. It should help out both the evaluators and testing teams as to what is expected in this portion of the test. Shirley Hammond supplied it and tested it. You will find it available on this website in either .jpg (image format) or in Microsoft Excel format.

Add to your "to do" list a week of WMD training. All TF's will be required to be fully qualified in WMD training in the near future. This is not optional for Dog Handlers--check with your STMs as to how they are going to supply the training for the volunteer base.

The Subcommittee will be attending our sorta-annual Face-to-Face meeting this October in Emmitsburg, MD. in conjunction with the Search Subcommittee. Our agenda includes addressing the need for the tracking, training, maintenance and communication of the Evaluator Cadre. We will also compile the policies we have been developing and post them on the website. Hopefully this will make it easier to find the answers to many questions concerning training, testing and the DESCREP. 

A round of applause for Pat Gilliland's patience! He is now a Level II evaluator. (TXTF1--handler)

Teresa MacPherson
Secretary, FEMA Canine Sub-Group
8-22-02

Please forward any news, scheduled events, letters to the editor, or other info you want disseminated via DOG TALK, the underground canine newsletter to Anne Trout at amccurdy@clarian.org or via fax (317) 962-7549.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top of page

To submit issues, past or present of Dog Talk, please contact the webmaster at roxisam@hotmail.com