Welcome, listeners! In today's episode, I speak with Denise Sanders of the National Search Dog Foundation about disaster search dogs. Denise tells us about how SDF finds "rescued dogs that turn into rescuers" by searching for and finding suitable canine candidates in shelters, training them at their "Disneyland for dogs" training facility and eventually pairing them with first responders, so that as a team they can be deployed by their respective agencies after a natural disaster to find people who are alive and have been trapped underneath rubble or in other hidden places. Denise explains how these dogs are trained, what their "disaster city" facility is like, how they are paired with first responders, what a deployment can be like, and how you can help. You won't want to miss this episode!

You can check out what SDF is up to on their Facebook page here, or find the on Instagram @searchdogfoundation. Their website is: https://searchdogfoundation.org. You can read more about how the organization came to be by reading Hero Dogs, a book co-authored by the founder, Wilma Melville. 

On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it,  rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know  who are interested in the topic. This show exists in support of its  sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You  can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me.

I’d love to hear your feedback, questions, recommendations and ideas concerning this podcast. Please reach out at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.