#8: K, the Search and Rescue Dog

When Jane was a year old we got the opportunity to work with the Search and Rescue group - she needed LOTS of training, and we were lucky enough to work with the group doing obedience on a regular basis. Our trainer LOVED her and said she would make a great Search dog if she was bigger and wouldn't eat other dogs. So that led us to SEARCH for a second dog - we both loved SAR and Pete wanted to pursue it with a second dog. After looking at breeds: Tollers, Goldens, Labs ... we found the connection with the Flat-coat. We both loved the breed and were fortunate enough to get to know some here in Lethbridge.

We found our breeder and the litter we loved would have great working dogs ... so we waited for months .. and he was born. We requested a puppy that never gave up - persistent to no end, huge fetch drive and outgoing. I think our breeder knows what they are doing ... all those things are what we needed for a potential SAR dog.

Kaleb certified as a SAR dog with the RCMP CSDA one month past his 2nd birthday. To this day, he is one of the youngest - if not the youngest to ever certify in the program. Pete worked his butt off with Kaleb - atleast 20 hours of a week training: Scent work, Tracking, Obedience.

Like everything Kaleb does ... he does it with a style of his own ...

To this day ... he always defaults to SAR mode. Lose your Keys? No problem! Last year at the Agility field 2 people lost their sets of keys in 2 foot tall grasses in the adjacent field. They had been searching for them by foot for half an hour - I brought K in and even with the contaminated area of multiple people trampling through the area to find the keys ... he found them!!! He alerted, layed down on them, I asked his to show me, he picked them up and there they were!!!! I have witnesses. True Story. That is only one story of a few (I lost my cell phone once in a HUGE park ... he found it: )

Though super obnoxious and annoying most of the time ... he is a rather useful dog at times :)