The Search Dog Foundation

The Search Dog Foundation

The mission of the Search Dog Foundation is to produce 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.

To create these teams, SDF recruits rescued dogs from shelters and breed rescue groups, gives them professional training, and partners them with firefighters and other first responders at no cost to their departments. We ensure lifetime care for every dog in our program: once rescued, these dogs will never need to be rescued again.
SDF receives no government funding, and relies on our supporters throughout the country to provide these services. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, tax ID number 77-0412509.


From Rescued to Rescuer SDF recruits dogs from across the country that are rescued from abuse or abandonment. Typically these dogs demonstrate high energy, tenacity and boldness, making them ideal for search and rescue, but unsuitable for a family pet. After passing stringent screening and testing criteria, the dogs are then trained to harness that t high energy, drive and tenacity into life-saving skills.

Before entering our professional training kennel, each dog is cared for by a Canine Prep Home. It’s the job of this family to give the dog massive amounts of TLC, and provide a period of socialization and pre-training in a safe, loving environment.

Pre-Trained Canines When the dogs are ready (and not before), they receive six months of professional training before being teamed with a handler. Since the dog comes to the handler completely trained, the time it takes for the handler/dog search team to attain FEMA Advanced Certification is significantly reduced. A process that often took two or more years now takes 11 to 14 months. See 6-step training program

Success Rates SDF’s extensive pre-screening of canine candidates and rigorous training have produced a winning combination. Before SDF introduced its program, only 15% of the dogs that trained to be search dogs became certified. SDF boosted this to 85%.
Firefighters: A Search Dog’s Best FriendSDF chooses the best possible partners for our dogs: firefighters and other first-responders. Why? Because these are the men and women professionally trained to handle the chaos, danger and trauma associated with disaster situations. Also, they know that a skilled search dog is the most valuable tool in their search arsenal, and have the commitment to keep that tool honed.

Ongoing Support to Handlers SDF stays in close touch with the handlers long after they are partnered with an SDF search dog, providing ongoing training up to and beyond Advanced Certification.

Lifetime Care Commitment SDF makes a Lifetime Care Commitment to each dog: once rescued, it will never need to be rescued again. If a dog is accepted by SDF but does not complete the training program, or if it cannot remain with its handler for any reason, it is placed in a loving Lifetime Care home.

No Cost to Fire Departments It costs SDF $10,000 to recruit, care for, and train each dog, partner it with a firefighter-handler, and provide ongoing training to the team. SDF provides these dogs at no cost to fire departments and other disaster response agencies.
No Government FundingSDF is a small, efficiently run not-for-profit agency with no government funding. We rely on our supporters to help rescue these dogs and turn them into rescuers.