GET YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Offer expires March 15. Bring in one new member and get your membership free for one year.

1. Download a form from our webpage under membership.

2. Write your name at the top and give the application to your friend to send in with their check.

It's that easy to get your membership free or extended for one year.

NSDA Quarterly Meeting

March 25, 2010

8 p.m. EST, 7 CST, 6 MST, 5 PST

conference call information will be e-mailed to members

Letter from the President

By Sue Wolff

NSDA was formed to serve the K-9 Community. When our community was shunned, we formed an organization solely geared for the K-9 Search and Rescue Community. Here’s what we have accomplished for that community.

NSDA’S main goal is to establish the standards and certification testing. In our three years of existence that has been accomplished. Avalanche, Area and Land HRD are done with evaluators trained and beginning to test. There are five (5) Avalanche evaluators, nineteen (19) Area and eighteen (18) Land HRD. They’re located in Alabama, Virginia, New Mexico, Idaho, Georgia, Montana, Missouri, Texas, Wyoming, California, Washington, Tennessee and Florida.

NSDA has been innovative in doing the Evaluator Workshops by presenting them via Podcast online thereby giving all Evaluators identical training. It has also enabled us to conveniently reach personnel all over the states. One Area and two Land HRD workshops have been completed online with a future Area one scheduled for February 22.

NSDA also has two programs in the process. They are Water HRD and Trailing.

Water HRD is being finalized on paper and in its workshop. The workshop is almost completed and approved applicants for Water HRD Evaluator will be contacted soon to participate.

            Several inquiries have been received for the Trailing Beta.  Cam Daggett is in charge of that test.  Anyone interested in conducting a Beta Test should contact him at camdaggett@cox.net

To further the certification program, NSDA has been seeking funding from outside sources. A grant request has been filed for $10,000 and that monies, if received, will be utilized to help pay for Evaluator’s expenses for an evaluation testing session.

Another area in which members have expressed an interest is education. In NSDA’s continuing education is the Area and Land HRD seminar coming up in June in Cody, WY. This is being done in conjunction with High Country Search Dogs. Instructors will be:

Area Search

Beginner Mary Jane Boyd

Intermediate Jane Beson

Advanced Catherine Louis

HRD

Beginner Pat Totillo

Intermediate Lisa Higgins

Challenge Roy & Suzie Ferguson, Becky & Terry Larkins **

**The HRD Challenge class will only be available to those who hold an HRD field operational certification from a recognized organization. This will not be a “teaching” class. It will be scenario based only.

A maximum of eight (8) students per instructor for each class will be accepted. Once the class is filled, it will be closed to additional registrations. Check the website and newsletter for class closure. An application is currently on the website and is attached to this newsletter.

NOTE: There are no stores, gas stations, etc. after leaving Cody, so bring any snacks, beverages, vehicle fuel, anything needed beforehand.

As part of our goals this year, e-training is being developed in line with the subject matter covered in the certification written test i.e. K-9 first aid, weather, etc. There will be a series of modules online all offered at one price. The first module, weather,

will be out shortly with others to follow sequentially.

NSDA’s future goals are to see our K-9 certifications recognized nationally by the law enforcement/rescue/emergency management community. Toward that end we plan to attend state and national conferences, offer speakers to the LE/rescue community and have an NSDA booth at these also.

All in all, our main goal is to offer you a voice in K-9 search and rescue and to respond effectively to that voice.

NSDA Board Elections

Applicants are being sought for the NSDA Board of Directors. Their background should indicate that they can organize, delegate responsibility and oversee progress. Since the NSDA Board of Directors is a working Board, applicants are needed who have a personal knowledge of finance, marketing, advertising, public relations, publishing, secretarial skills and, most of all, overall business and management experience.

NSDA By-Laws state that Directors of the Board shall be a member one (1) year prior to filing to run for office and remain a member in good standing throughout their term.

Four positions on the NSDA Board of Directors will expire this year. There are two (2) positions in Region 1: one is for two years and one is for three. There are one each in Regions 2 and 3.

· Region 1: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the Pacific area.

· Region 2: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Canada.

· Region 3. Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, W. Virginia and Europe.

Members need to give serious consideration to whom they want as their representatives and either volunteer themselves or urge a qualified candidate to do so.

At the Special Meeting on January 21, 2010, Susan Bulanda was appointed Chair of the Nominating Committee.

Candidates will be selected from the list of volunteers and their biographies will be posted on the NSDA website. This year a questionnaire will also be sent to the applicants. The biography will give members a look at the applicant’s business background and the questionnaire will supply the applicant’s goals for themselves as well as the Alliance. Ballots will be sent to members to be returned, sealed, to the Nominating Committee Chair for tabulation.

Candidates will be declared winners on June 15^th. They will be seated at the second quarterly meeting which is in June.

Perspective

By Pat Totillo

The special meeting for voting on the revised By-Laws was held on January 21, 2010. Present were:

Cameron Daggett, Cris Goodhue, Sherry Scruggs, Norma Snelling, Jacob Weaver, Larry Welker, Dee Wild and Sue Wolff.

Absent was Terry Crooks who had a conflict with his work schedule.

Members in attendance and present on the call:

Mary Jane Boyd, TC Crippen, Pat Totillo, and Janet Wilts

Norma Snelling spoke briefly about the past year’s financial condition and the proposed draft budget for 2010. Mary Jane Boyd, who is a CPA and served as Treasurer on the initial Board of Directors, gave some good insight in the current financial condition of NSDA.

Revenue from memberships is down. Part of the problem was caused by notices not being sent to notify members it was time for renewal. The membership roster is being revised with expired members being deleted.

NSDA was using an outside bookkeeping service to prepare financial statements. This service’s reporting was not being done in a timely manner. Mary Jane Boyd demonstrated her commitment to NSDA by offering to take over this responsibility for the next year. Having timely reports will greatly benefit the organization.

All the by-law changes, with the exception of amendment 4, were unanimously approved. Prior to voting on amendment 4, Sue Wolff allowed everyone an opportunity to express their views. The change to amendment 4 was a hot topic. It was very refreshing to be in an environment where everyone could speak their

mind. I was very impressed since having been totally frustrated in the past by organizations that do not keep their membership informed or do not want to hear member’s opinions. Everyone was allowed to freely express their thoughts and allowed to have their say. The Board and the members spoke openly.

Since an invitation to attend the meeting was sent out to all members inviting them to attend, I am not going to go into who said what. All I will say is, you should have been there! There were valid arguments presented for both sides. Amendment 4 was carried by a vote of 11 to 9.

The first Podcast of 2010 is scheduled for January 24^th. This will be a panel discussion between the Board and the members. This is a great opportunity to chat one on one with your Board.

Haiti

By Dee Wild

The members of the National Search Dog Alliance understand that handlers and K-9's specially trained and officially requested are being utilized in Haiti.  As this catastrophe expands into the weeks to come, additional resources could be utilized.

Handlers must take an honest appraisal of their and their K-9's capabilities before responding to Haiti.  Having K-9's that are not accustomed to working in total chaos, working long hours in over 90º heat with 100% humidity and dealing with rubble and unstable footing should not consider this search.

As it is often said, one poorly working K-9 can wipe out the efforts of all the very good working K-9's.  This may be one of those times that we stand together supporting the efforts of the handlers and K-9's that are suitable for Haiti.

Often times, handlers think they should go so they can say they worked a high-profile search.  A wise handler knows when to say NO.

May our K-9 Community truly come together for the best of our K-9's.

Hernandez Award 2009 Update

Pat Rielly and "Radar"

“The journey has begun......”

QUICK TIP

This comes as a result of Roy Ferguson’s Article about flying with your K-9.  A tip I'd like to offer him if he wants to consider it is to recommend doing a "training run" by having the canine go into a movie theater with you.  The first time I was flying mine to a SAR conference I was worried how he'd do, so I asked the manager of the local movie theater if I could bring in my K-9.  I explained it was a lot easier to leave a movie theater if the dog didn't like it than an airplane thousands of feet up in the air.  (We went to go see Scooby Doo!)  The theater creates almost the same environment: cramped seating in a dark closed space filled with lots of people and smells.

David Wyttenbach

K-9 Handler

Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association

PETEY HAS A HOME

Editor’s Note: In the December 2009 issue of SAR Dog News, an article ran about The Search and Service program at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (www.bestfriends.org). Petey, a border collie mix was featured in that article. Below is an update on Petey from Karen Dashfield, DVM.

Petey has been placed with the Ventura County Sheriff’s SAR, who was interested in the program due to a need to get a replacement dog on line quickly.  Initial reports are that he is sleeping in the children’s bedroom at night tucked into his doggy bed, and is already performing cold searches with his new handler. More info to follow.

Meanwhile the search has started for the next future search and rescue trainee.  Sherry Woodward has already scoured the Best Friends Sanctuary for dogs that potentially meet our criteria (6 months to 2 years old, medium sized, good with people, good with dogs and other animals, good health, no previous severe illness, good focus, good energy, good toy drive, good core of confidence and more!)

Dogs who initially look like potentials enter a trial period where they receive daily training sessions, trips into the real world, hip x-rays, and more to determine if they really have all the “right stuff”.  Typically it can take 2-3 weeks to find the right candidate to move forward with the search and rescue training.  Even if Sherry finds a dog that is not completely suitable for search and rescue, the potential dogs receive great benefit from the daily one on one time and are that much more prepared to find a home after spending time in a home and having experienced more of the world outside the sanctuary.

Should any handlers be currently interested in a

dog, or foresee needing a replacement dog in the near future, we would love to know what they are looking for, so we can keep our eyes open for you.

For more information, you can contact Sherry Woodard at sherry@bestfriends.org or Karen Dashfield DVM at kdashfield@nac.net Website: http://network.bestfriends.org/groups/caninesas/default.aspx

National Service Dog Eye Exam Day

The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) is launching the, 3^rd ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Day, throughout the month of May 2010, to correspond with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s "Pet Health Week". Over 150 board certified veterinary ophthalmologists will volunteer their time for this event and provide complimentary ‘eye wellness examinations’ to certified Service Dogs. The Service Dog owner/agent will incur no costs for these services.

Dogs who participated in the program in 2009 are again invited to participate. This could prove valuable in tracking their ocular health. It is anticipated that through these efforts Service Dog health can be improved and potential disease averted.

In order to participate in the event, Service Dogs should fall into one or more of the following categories: guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs, police dogs, and search and rescue dogs. Dogs must be active 'working dogs' that were certified by a formal training program or organization or are currently enrolled in a formal training program. The certifying organization could be national, regional or local

in nature. Essentially the dogs need to have some sort of certification and/or training paperwork to prove their status as a working Service Dog to participate in this program.

This event will again be national in scope with some availability in Canada.

K-9 VICTORIA CROSS

Sgt Dave Heyhoe with explosives dog Treo in the Afghanistan desert. Photo: PA

On February 24, Princess Alexandra of England will award Treo, an eight-year-old black Labrador, with the Dickin Medal at a ceremony at the Imperial War Museum. The dog saved countless lives in Afghanistan last year by locating hidden roadside bombs. Treo will be accompanied at the ceremony by his handler, Sergeant Dave Heyhoe. The team has worked together for five years.

The explosives detection dog twice saved soldiers and civilians from catastrophe while out on patrol in Helmand province by sniffing out explosives which had been wired together in a daisy chain and hidden in the path.

The medal was created by the leading veterinary charity, the PDSA, and is recognized as the highest award an animal can receive for conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict. The award was introduced by PDSA founder Maria Dickin in 1943.

PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin said, "The medal is recognized throughout the world as the animals' Victoria Cross and is the highest award any animal can receive for bravery in the line of duty. Treo is, without doubt, a worthy recipient."

Treo will be the 63rd animal to receive the medal, following in the footsteps of 26 other dogs, 32 Second World War messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat.

Source: the foreign press

PODCAST

The next NSDA Podcast will be February 28, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. EST, 7 CST, 6 MST, 5 PST.

Go to http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/21763 to listen or download past episodes. All PODCAST episodes remain available for download indefinitely and are labeled by topic so you can pick and choose the program you’re interested in.

The NSDA PODCAST can also be updated automatically via an RSS on iTunes.com. Just go to iTunes.com or Goggle and enter ‘NSDA PODCAST’ as your search term and you will find additional ways to listen to and download all of the NSDA PODCAST episodes. If you have a topic you’d liked discussed, please contact a Network Committee member or send an email to lwelker@aol.com.

TRAINING

OPPORTUNITIES

March 15-19, 2010, NSDA and Western Mountain Search Dogs:  Avalanche Seminar, Bozeman, MT.  Contact Terry Crooks at tcrooks@frontiernet.net for more information.

March 26-28, 2010, HRD Building Seminar in Williamsburg, VA, presented by Bay Area Recovery Canines. Additional workshop details, contact information, Registration form, and Participant Release Form: <http://www.bayarearecoverycanines.com/seminars.htm>

April 8 -- 11, 2010, Mark Holmes/Corbin Hodge Trailing Seminar, St. Louis, MO; Hosted by Gateway Search Dogs, Inc. Go to www.gatewaysearchdogs.org for information and registration form.

June 17-19, 2010, NSDA and High Country Search Dogs: HRD & Area Search Seminar, Cody, WY Watch www.n-sda.org for future information. Diane Rollins conference scholarship will pay $175.00 toward conference tuition for a NSDA member/handler.

July 17, 18, 19 and 20, 2010, Intermediate/Advanced Airscent Seminar at Northwest College Field Station near Cody, WY. For more information, contact Janet Wilts at janetwilts@msn.com

July 21^st and 22^nd, 2010^. Annual Water Workout at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir near Cody, WY, will be held following the airscent seminar. To register, contact K.T. Irwin at leonberg@bresnan.net

BOOK REVIEW

By Tricia Heldman

Reaching the Animal Mind by Karen Pryor

I thought about sending this review during the summer when I finished reading my copy but had second thoughts because it is more than just a summer read for several reasons.

The foremost reason is that you really want to read this book with your computer and internet connection at your elbow so that you can view the many web addresses Karen has placed in each chapter to illustrate each of her points. Plus, I wouldn't recommend trying to sit on a breezy, sandy beach with a laptop!

Karen is probably best known for her Don't Shoot the Dog! The New Art of Teaching and Training, other clicker training books, and her many behavioral psychology papers.  This new book is a compilation of all she has learned about the all-positive training system for actually communicating wanted behaviors to animals and without the "crank & yank" of punishment based training.

We, as Search And Rescue handlers/trainers, many (most) of whom work our partners off leash, can take the lessons Karen illustrates both in words and videos as invaluable to get the results we desire quickly and with a K-9 who is happy to creatively, and fearlessly, solve problems.

A quote from early in the book:  "I have heard professors of behavioral science, who should revere positive reinforcement, boasting about how tough they make life for their graduate students.  As if that would help them learn better. Oh, come on, folks! I have watched the highest

officials in my government bickering about different forms and degrees of torture, still relying on the primitive tools of fear, dominance, and injury without any recognition of what any dolphin trainer knows:  that aversives stop behavior, they don't start it; and that fear and pain produce completely unpredictable and usually highly undesirable side effects, including being both exciting and reinforcing to the punisher.  I have a faint but undying hope that the new technology that is the topic of this book might help to bring us all just a little bit past the behavioral Stone Age we are still in."

Karen has some wonderful information about neuroscience, the mammalian brain, dopamine, the role of the conditioned re-enforcer and the amygdala, and so much more.

There is chapter on Attachments with reference to the SAR dog Orca (Hi Marcia!), many other animal species learning processes, sections on the Cost of Fear, TAG Teaching and even some "Do it Yourself" sections at the end.  I could go on by giving many quotes blessed by Karen but, in the interest of some brevity, the glowing reviews by Temple Grandin, Ph.D., Dr. Patricia McConnell, Ken Ramirez of the Shedd Aquarium, and others, make this a *required* book for your reference shelf.

Tricia Heldmann

TASK-9

Connecticut

FINANCIAL RECAP

Attached to this newsletter is an unaudited Financial Recap for NSDA.  This recap includes the twelve month periods ending in December 31, 2008, and December 31, 2009.

German Police train vultures to find human remains

Sherlock, a five-year-old Turkey Vulture being trained to locate human corpses under a project commissioned by the German police.

Courtesy Walsrode Bird Park.

German police are testing the use of vultures to seek out human corpses in a project aimed at speeding up criminal investigations. A bird expert at a wildlife park in northern Germany is training Sherlock, a five-year old turkey vulture, to locate fabric containing the scent of the dead.

Trained canines, such as bloodhounds, are highly effective in tracking and remembering scents, but, according to the German press, they need to take frequent breaks and can only scour 100 square meters per day, or even less if the terrain is difficult.

“Vultures can fly over many square kilometers. They could make police work much more efficient,” said an expert on forensic science and technology at the Lower Saxony criminal police force. It would take the birds just a few hours to cover areas that would take dogs days.

The birds are capable of detecting scents from the air, even through forest canopies. Under the plan, tracking devices would be attached to the vultures so that they could be traced by police.

One potential disadvantage is that the vultures are likely to start picking at corpses they find, forensic science and technology expert admitted. “That will happen and you can’t stop it but they won’t remove the entire corpse, they can’t eat that much. And if they take a nibble, what the hell, the victim will be beyond help anyway. Besides, the transmitters will enable police to get to the scene quickly.”

Up to now, Sherlock has been practicing in a confined area of around 40 square meters in the Walsrode Bird Park, about 80 kilometers north of the city of Hanover. At present, he does not search from the air, and instead hops across the ground. The bird park is using fabric provided by the mortuary of a medical university to train Sherlock to locate humans. Every time he locates the hidden cloth, he gets a reward.

One problem is that it is unclear whether vultures can distinguish between animal cadavers and human corpses.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the shortage of available vultures in Europe, especially ones as tame and easy to handle as Sherlock, which came from Prague Zoo.

Source: foreign desk at the national

Boys kill Elizabethton TN police dog

The dog, Yoris, was a Belgian malinois and was a two-year veteran of the Elizabethton Police Department. He was euthanized on Sunday after suffering numerous injuries, including knife stabbings.

Yoris was the partner of K-9 officer Shane Darling.

Officer Darling said Yoris was a very well trained dog and also a very sociable dog. “I have four kids and Yoris loved to play with them. They would get down and wrestle and play. He was a part of our family. He was not an aggressive dog at all, he was very playful.”

Darling said Yoris had never shown any aggression toward anyone. Even in making several civil apprehensions of fleeing suspects, Darling said Yoris never bit them.

He said Yoris was trusted so much that he was taken to several area elementary and high schools and churches, where he visited with the students as they learned how dogs found illegal narcotics and helped catch suspects.

Darling said Yoris was also very good at his job. “He had over a dozen arrests on narcotics,” Darling said. Yoris also ended a recent pursuit out of Johnson County by catching two suspects who abandoned vehicles in an attempt to flee on foot. He said he accomplished all of these without biting anyone.

Darling said he and Yoris were also called out at 2 a.m. recently to assist in a federal case where a gun had been thrown out on Tenn. Highway 67.

“Within 2 minutes Yoris located the gun,” Darling said. After two years of service to the department, Darling said Yoris was just starting to get into his prime.

He said Yoris will be very greatly missed by him and his family. “He was a great dog. He enjoyed being with kids and he loved his job.”

Darling was in Florida over the weekend on family business when Yoris somehow got out of his kennel. The dog apparently wandered onto an

open grassy field off Sunrise Drive that was part of the Elizabethton Municipal Airport property.

According to a report by the Carter County Sheriff’s Department, there were three 16-year-old boys on the field, playing a game they called “air soft,” when the dog came onto the field. “Air Soft” is a game like paint ball, but using plastic pellets shot from air rifles.

The boys told the sheriff’s department that the dog started biting two of them. The third boy ran over to help his friends. He said they had to stab the dog several times in their attempt to get away from the dog. A Deputy said each of the three boys was injured. He said two of the boys had small injuries due to dog bites. The third boy was transported to Sycamore Shoals by ambulance because of his injuries. The mother of the third boy said her son suffered bites to his lower back, spine and buttocks, but the worst bite was to his left forearm.

She said the dog jumped on one of the boy’s back. Her son came to the aid of his friend and tried to get the dog off. That is when the dog turned on him, according to the mother. The other boys then came to his aid and began stabbing the dog.

In the midst of the struggle, she said the boys accidentally stabbed her son twice, once in the forehead and once in the forearm.

A nearby resident who witnessed the incident gave a different story. David Ward said he looked out the window he saw the boys in the field.

“It looked like all of them had rifles,” Ward said. He said when he first saw the dog, he thought it appeared friendly. “I couldn’t see the dog too well because the boys were in front of him but it looked like he was kind of wagging his tail,” Ward said.

Curious, Ward went to get his binoculars.

When he came back, he said the scene had turned violent. “I saw them beating the dog. They were stomping it and kicking it real hard.”

Ward called 9-1-1. He said the boys left the dog and he went to check on it. “It was still alive but it was lying in a pool of its own blood. It was bleeding profusely from the head and neck. It was panting heavily, trying to catch its breath.”

The circumstances surrounding the dog’s death remain cloudy and an investigation is continuing. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.

Anyone wishing to contact Officer Darling can do so at the following address:

Elizabethton Police Department

525 East F Street

Elizabethton, Tennessee 37843

Source: Johnson City Press

FOR SALE

Glow Reflective RESCUE Cross with RESCUE (in black) written horizontally. The Cross measures 6 x 6 inches and is made of a vinyl/nylon type material. They can be sewn on dog rescue vests or used in other applications. They come on a 8 x 8 square and are perforated to remove the cross. Only 8 are available. $6.00 each. Contact Susan Bulanda for availability, susanb21@juno.com

Official photocopy of rare manuals, $35 each includes S&H,

· USAF Sentry Dog Program government manual, USAF Military Working Dog (MWD) Program, AF Regulation 125-5, 1980

· Scout Dog Training and Employment FM 7-40, 1973

Contact Susan Bulanda, susanb21@juno.com for availability

. YIP YAP

By Dana Kirsch Ray

Opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of the National Search Dog Alliance. Questions for this column can be sent to trainingquestions@n-sda.org

Snow camping

Taking your dog out on a snow adventure is always great fun. Not only do they love the snow but they love the campfire (don't we all) and the socializing with others.

Over the years I've only had a few hiccups with snow camping. On one occasion after being out on skis for over six hours, with my dog post-holing behind me, the group stopped to practice some z-rig systems. During this break, he became hypothermic. I believe it would not have happened if we had not stopped to rest or if he had a place to lie down that was off the snow. After bundling him up with down jackets and giving him some warmed water to drink, he was good to go.

Another time I had a young dog in the tent and had not noticed when he sabotaged the camelback. He must have been sleeping in a wet puddle for over three hours before he realized his mistake. A wet lick to my face woke me up and I quickly put together what the problem was. He happily spent the rest of the night in my sleeping bag with me.

I've seen folks who dress their dogs in neoprene jackets or who put on snow booties to keep their feet warm. I've also worked in the snow with

both long and short hair dogs and haven't noticed much difference.

In the end it's the muscle movement that generates internal heat more than relying solely on their coat for insulation. If you keep an eye on them and watch out for extreme exposure situations, like those above, snow play can be fun for both K-9 and human.

Let it snow!

YOUR BOARDS

Executive Board--

Sue Wolff, President, Tennessee

srt1530@starband.net

Terry Crooks, Vice-President, Montana

tcrooks@frontiernet.net

Sherry Scruggs, Secretary, Florida

k-9tracer@cox.net

Norma Snelling, Treasurer, Washington

snelling@olypen.com, 360.808.0894

Cameron Daggett, Idaho

            camdaggett@cox.net

Cris Goodhue, Montana           bcgoodhue@blackfoot.net

Jacob Weaver, Georgia           jacobweaver@bellsouth.net

Larry Welker, Alabama

lwelker@aol.com

Dee Wild, Louisiana

dwild1@bellsouth.net

Advisory Board—

·         Mary Jane Boyd

·         Susan Bulanda

·         Lisa Higgins

·         Marcia Koenig

·         Carol Ann Namur

·         Robert Noziska

·         A. E. Wolff

2010 NSDA Area and HRD Seminar

June 16 – 20, 2010 Cody, Wyoming

Hosted by NSDA and High Country Search Dogs

Registration will be on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE basis due to limited accommodations

Registration Fee: $325.00 - includes lodging and meals Wed. night through Sun. morning.

PLEASE PRINT all responses on registration form

Name: _________________________________ Address___________________________________

City/State/ZIP: _________________________________________Phone # ____________________

Email Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Please print legibly

Canine Name & Breed ____________________________________________________ M / F N / S

In Case of Emergency contact: _________________________________________________________

Print Full Name Area Code and Phone Number

Indicate class you would like to attend (please check only one) :

Area Search Beginning ____________Intermediate ___________ Advanced _______________

HRD Beginning ____________Intermediate___________ Challenge ** _____________

Limited canine testing will be offered for Area Search and HRD on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you would like to test, please indicate on this form and we will contact you with the date and time. Check the website at http://www.n-sda.org/standards.php for pretest and test requirements.

I would like to test in Area Search _____________ I would like to test in Land HRD ______________

Instructors: Area Search

Beginner Mary Jane Boyd

Intermediate Jane Beson

Advanced Catherine Louis

HRD

Beginner Pat Totillo

Intermediate Lisa Higgins

Challenge Roy & Suzie Ferguson/Becky & Terry Larkins

Student/Instructor Ratio

Registration

Mail registration form, check payable to NSDA for $325, current canine shot records and HRD certification (if taking challenge class) to: Jan Meyer 1123 Eagle Creek Road Wildwood, MO 63005 Acknowledgement of registration will be sent to email address provided above within two weeks of receipt. No registrations will be accepted after June 1, 2010, or after the classes are filled. Check or money order only – no PayPal accepted for registration. No refunds after May 15.

Location

Northwest College's A. L. Mickelson Field Station is located 30 miles NW of Cody, WY on Dead Indian Hill in the Absaroka Mountain Range, just off the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. It is only a few miles from the spectacular Sunlight Basin, 55 miles from the northeast gate of Yellowstone National Park, 50 miles from the Northwest College campus, and 30 miles from Cody, Wyoming. www.northwestcollege.edu/fieldstation

Field Station Map

Accommodations Provided on Site

You will need to bring a sleeping bag or sheets, as well as soap, shampoo, toothbrush and towel. Pillows and blankets will be provided. Accommodations will be bunk style with six (6) to a room. Dormitory style restrooms with showers are located near the cabins. Kennels are required for canines.

Check-in/Check-out

Check-in will be Wednesday evening, June 16, with check-out Sunday morning, June 20. Dinner will be provided on Wednesday along with all meals Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. If you are coming early or staying late and need a motel in Cody, please check for reservations and availability at http://www.codywyomingnet.com/lodging/motels.php.

NOTE: Cody is a tourist town and advance reservations are essential.

Camping

There is limited camping at Dead Indian Campgrounds Southeast of the Field Station. For information check their website at http://www.publiclands.org/explore/site.php?id=1527

Airport – (shuttle will not be provided by NSDA between airport and seminar)

Yellowstone Regional Airport (www.flyyra.com) is located approximately 30 miles Southeast of the seminar location. The airport is served year round by Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines through Salt Lake City, Utah and United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines and Mesa Airlines through Denver International Airport.

Car Rentals at Yellowstone Regional Airport

For rate or reservation information, please contact the following:

·         Budget Rent A Car                                       Hertz Car Rental                   Thrifty Car Rental
Toll Free (800) 527-0700                                Toll Free (800) 654-3131        Toll Free (800) 367-2277
Local (307) 587-6066                                      Local (307) 587-2914              Local (307) 587-8855
http://www.budgetrentacar.com/                    http://www.hertz.com              http://www.thrifty.com

Ground Transportation

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Contact Information

For additional seminar information, please contact Cris Goodhue High Country Search Dogs bcgoodhue@blackfoot.net

For additional registration information, please contact Jan Meyer janmeyer@att.net

National Search Dog Alliance		2/9/2010
Financial Recap - Cash Basis (Unaudited)
For the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2008 and 2009


	12/31/2008	12/31/2009

Revenues:
Founding Membership Dues	$2,000.00	$0.00
Life Membership Dues	2,000.00	600.00
Annual Membership Dues	7,800.00	8,084.53
Contributions	3,300.00	1,940.00
Grants	5,000.00	0.00
Conference Receipts (Tuition, Meals, Lodging, Products)	23,162.72	0.00
Product Sales	0.00	1,556.42
Testing Fees	0.00	70.00
Interest Income	395.24	11.54
Miscellaneous	1.32	0.00

Total Revenues	43,659.28	12,262.49

Expenses:
Insurance Expense	1,080.00	1,336.00
Election Expenses	115.70	82.45
Conference Expenses (Airfare, Meal, Lodging, Products)	16,165.24	0.00
Testing Expenses	0.00	1,470.39
Web Site Design, Hosting, Domain Name(s), etc.	1,436.01	267.69
Product Expenses (some of this is inventory)	0.00	1,813.78
NSDA Promotional Items	123.00	0.00
Office Supplies, Postage, Forwarding Service, etc.	408.70	371.58
Strategic Planning Meeting	2,217.04	0.00
Board Meetings	0.00	7,015.97
Hernandez Scholarship	1,680.00	1,100.00
Membership Cards	77.05	49.60
Accounting	0.00	405.00
Fees & Bank Charges	255.25	366.25
Miscellaneous	121.67	0.00

Total Expenditures	23,679.66	14,278.71

Net Income/(Loss)	19,979.62	(2,016.22)

Less: Expenditures for Product Inventory	0.00	(2,324.90)

Net Increase/(Decrease) in Cash	$19,979.62	($4,341.12)

Product Inventory On Hand December 31	$0.00	$2,324.90

Cash on Hand January 1	$20,866.34	$40,845.96
Net Cash Increase/(Decrease)	19,979.62	(4,341.12)

Total Cash on Hand December 31	40,845.96	36,504.84

Less Restricted Cash	(9,475.00)	(10,495.00)

Cash Available for Operations December 31	$31,370.96	$26,009.84

SAR Dog News, February 2010 Page 2

SAR Dog News, February 2010 Page 3

Perspective

SAR Dog News, February 2010 Page 4

Hernandez Award 2009 Update

SAR Dog News, February 2010 Page 5

For more information, you can contact Sherry Woodard at sherry@bestfriends.org or Karen Dashfield DVM at kdashfield@nac.net Website: http://network.bestfriends.org/groups/caninesas/default.aspx

SAR Dog News, February 2010 Page 6