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So Others May Live
Area Teams
Area search dog teams train to locate human scent in a given area. The handler’s job is to assess the environmental conditions and direct their dog to areas where scent is most likely to be. The dog’s job is to utilize different strategies such as air scent, ground scent, and scent specific to locate human scent and guide their handler to the source.
Certified: Area
Kathy & K9 Bean
Howdy All- I’m Bean,
I am the black Labradork in the bunch……..that is if you can see me……I go by really fast. I’m nationally certified in area search and large source human remains. If you don’t come home, I’ll be on the way to sniff you out as soon as I can. My handler, Kathy, is a bit on the slow side but that doesn’t matter to me; I run out front to cover lots of ground by myself. I’ll run back to let her know if I smell you and we’ll be on our way to help ASAP. My apologies in advance for all the noise I’m going to make when we get there. See, I’m going to get to play with my squeaky toys for a reward, and I’d love it if you play with me too.
K9 Bean
Kitsap Dog 32
Certified: Area
Tim & K9 Kimber
Hello Everyone, my name is Kimber. I am a Belgian Malinois.
I am a certified air scent and large source HRD dog with my handler, Tim. We are best buddies and train everyday, rain or shine. When I find the lost person, I return to Tim and tug on my toy to let him know that I have found them. Then it’s party time with treats and my tug toy! I get to do some really fun things while working, and I am up for anything!
K9 Kimber
Kitsap Dog 76
Certified: Area
Brandi & K9 Fox
My name is Fox, and I am a certified air scent search dog. This is a picture of my handler Brandi and myself on the day we passed our certification test. I can find someone just about anywhere, even on mountains. I let Brandi know that I have found them by giving her a bark. Brandi’s job is to carry my toy – oh, and our water too. Bless her – she tries really hard. Brandi thinks I do all of this to get my toy and a treat after I lead her back to the person I’ve found. Truth is, I just really love doing it. But don’t tell her that. I have been holding out for more play time.
K9 Fox
Kitsap Dog 90
Certified: Area
Scott & K9 Tucker
My name is Tucker. I am three years old and LOVE to play the hide-and-seek game with my handler Scott. My favorite reward is playtime! I love to play tug and ball, swim in the water, and go for rides in my handler Scott's truck whenever I can. I just love being outdoors! Now that we are both certified, we can go anywhere in the state with the rest of the pack.
K9 Tucker
Kitsap Dog 30
Certified: Area
Tania & K9 Thuja
Hi! I’m K9 Thuja, a certified search dog with Kitsap County Search Dogs, and this is my handler, Tania. I am a Belgian Malinois trained to find both live people and human remains, using my nose and long legs to cover big areas quickly. When I make a find, I run back to Tania, give a bark alert, and then lead her to the missing person. We love putting our training to work to help those in need and bring answers to families.
K9 Thuja / Tania
Kitsap Dog 25
IN TRAINING
Claire & K9 Zoe
In Training: Area
Claire grew up spending hours in the woods and has been fascinated with working dogs from a young age. She started hiding for the team in Februrary of 2024 and was quickly hooked! Claire currently deploys as a flanker with KCSD. She is also learning how to partner with her awesome Chocolate Labrador, Zoe. Zoe loves playing with her person and loves using her nose to “go find.” Zoe and Claire are currently in training together as an Area team.
K9 Zoe / Claire
Kitsap Dog 52
Geoff & K9 Trooper
In Training: Area
Geoff and Trooper are working toward their certification as an area team.
Trooper is a one-year-old Labrador Retriever. He and Nova are littermates. When he finishes training, he will be a sixth-generation search and rescue dog. He moved in with Geoff in August 2024. Most of the things that make him a terrible roommate happen to make him a great search dog.
When not training, he can be found hard at work as the resident office dog of Wickes Law PLLC. In his free time, he enjoys playing fetch, stealing shoes, alarming passers-by with his tremendous speed, and generally introducing a little bit of chaos into the lives of others.
K9 Trooper / Geoff
Kitsap Dog 53
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