Iowa SAR K9
Coalition & Fund
Human Remains Detection
Nationally certified K9 teams are deployed to locate the odor of decomposition of remains of deceased individuals. They are trained on land, water, cold-cases, crime scene detection, and burials.
Our K9 teams have experience detecting as little as a few drops of blood to pinpointing the location of a body in a river or lake. We train regularly to locate skeletal remains associated with cold cases.
Our handlers are trained to assess a search area to determine the strategies most likely to end in a successful result.
Scent Specific Tracking & Trailing
Nationally certified K9 teams are deployed to locate lost individuals. Unlike police K9s, our K9s are trained to follow the scent of specific individuals in contaminated scenes.
Our tracking/trailing dogs have assisted in locating toddlers, elderly adults and people with disabilities who have wandered from their home or family. They have also assisted with criminal run-aways.
It is critical that the tracking/trailing teams are called as soon as possible - an early call increases the chances of a successful result.
About Us
Our K9s are single-purpose and nationally certified. We deploy at the request of law enforcement for a variety of missing person and criminal scenarios.
In addition to the extensive K9 training, handlers are trained in crime scene preservation, search strategy, first aid, navigation, search management and incident management.
Teams utilize GPS and mapping technology to complete search reports that provide accurate and thorough documentation to law enforcement of the activities and results of our K9 teams.
Iowa SAR K9 is a coalition of independent, unpaid, professional K9 search & rescue handlers. The Iowa SAR K9 Fund was established to support the extensive expenses associated with ongoing training, certification, deployment and equipment needs.
Free of charge, our nationally certified teams assist local, state and federal agencies in locating lost or missing loved ones. For decades law enforcement has relied on certified, mission ready K9s to assist in a variety of specific crimes and emergencies.
Simply put – certified, mission ready K9s can do things that cannot be replicated by humans, machines or technology and they have become a highly sought after resource by law enforcement. The Iowa SAR K9 Coalition is committed to providing only the most qualified teams of handlers and K9s.
The handlers of the Iowa SAR K9 Coalition are professionals who strive daily to better themselves. We take seriously the trust that law enforcement agencies and families put into our K9 teams and are committed to deploying certified, mission ready K9 teams across the state of Iowa. We deploy out of state by request of K9 mutual aid.
Certification is done through the Alliance for Emergency Response Instructors and Examiners, the North American Police Work Dog Association, and the National Network of Canine Detection Services.
During the certification process the K9 handlers undergo extensive professional training in incident management, crime scene preservation, search strategy, first aid/CPR, and more. The certifications completed by the teams on the Iowa SAR K9 coalition meet the current standards of the Scientific Working Group on Dog and Orthogonal Detector Guidelines, which is considered the gold standard for training standards and is recognized as so in court proceedings.
In the commitment to providing highly trained, mission ready K9s, the handlers routinely travel to seminars conducted by nationally recognized leaders in K9 detection. Examples of seminars include detecting human remains in water, clandestine graves and historical burials, forensic crime scene detection, and courtroom preparation. The handlers prepare themselves and their K9s for a variety of types of searches.
The coalition of handlers regularly works with instructors from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Canine Facility, Legacy K9 (formerly the Klaas Kids Foundation/Called2Rescue), HRD Specialized K9 Training, Inc. and the International Bloodhound Trailing Institute.
