Cordillera Border Collies

THE TOY TEST
Take your dog to an area with dense brush that it has never been before. Hold your dog by the collar and toss a toy it has never seen before at least 10 feet into the brush (tug-type toy-not a ball). Then release your dog. Do not speak to your dog while it hunts for the toy.
Observe your dog's behavior and makes notes on what your dog did while searching for the toy.

Please contact me if you know of a potential canine candidate that meets the following criteria:

SEARCH DOG PROFILE
* Labrador, Golden Retriever, or Border Collie or other hunting or herding breed or mix
* 9 to 18 months old
* Excellent health, (hip and elbow x-rays will be required)
* Bold, energetic, and athletic
* Well-socialized, not fearful of or aggressive to people or other dogs
* Not fearful of noises, sudden movements or unstable, hazardous footing
* Able to ignore extraneous noises
* Spayed or neutered (will be required)
If your dog fits this profile, complete the simple Toy Test

I have been involved as a volunteer with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (NDSDF) since 2002. I became a volunteer after attending a presentation by Howard Orr of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department about his experience with his dog Duke at the World Trade Center in 2001. I left the presentation stunned, but awed by the work that the search teams performed during that horrible disaster. NDSDF produces the most highly trained canine disaster search teams in the nation. The job of these teams is to find people buried alive in the wreckage of natural disasters and terrorist attacks. I am a member of the NDSDF “Bark Force” and constantly search shelters and private rescue organizations for potential canine candidates. My family also fosters and provides socialization and basic training for canine candidates prior to their formal training. It is very difficult to give these dogs up once they have become part of our family, but we are happy to know that they are making such a significant contribution to our society.

We raise and train candidates for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. I am an evaluator for canine candidates and regularly search for dogs in local shelters and through private rehome situations. Here are a few of our successful dogs. We love them and wish them well with their handlers.