Tomorrow’s Heroes
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Retter
Hero Status: Placement Pending
Career Track: Police K9Rescued By: Leadville Lake County Animal Shelter
Rescued From: Colorado
Born: May 2023
Arrived: July 2023
Breed: Labrador Retriever MixHis Story:
Retter’s mom was found as a pregnant stray in rural Colorado and rescued by a member of the community.
Leadville/Lake County Animal Shelter Manager took mom in as a foster and whelped and raised her babies until they were ready to fly the nest.
His foster was a professional dog trainer with experience in search and rescue. She chose Retter out of all of his brothers and sisters to donate to our organization based on his temperament and innate drives.
Retter is a fabulous puppy and is so fun to work with! -
Stark
Hero Status: In Training
Career Track: UndeterminedRescued By: Blackfoot K9
Rescued From: South Carolina
Born: July 2023
Arrived: August 2023
Breed: Mixed Breed
Her Story:
Early one morning, a professional dog trainer in rural South Carolina heard the yelps of a puppy alone in a cotton field. Upon examination, the puppy was extremely young and was being actively attacked by a nasty nest of fire ants.
Despite it all, this puppy was a fighter. She was quickly scooped up and the hundreds of small wounds on her body were treated.
It was estimated she was only 5 weeks old at the time she was found, much too young to be alone.
While we’ll never know how she got there, we do know she couldn’t have been found by a better, more capable person.
We are thankful for the opportunity to take this tiny baby and help her become the hero she was born to be! -
Cheeto
Hero Status: Just Arrived
Career Track: UndeterminedRescued By: Caleb Landers
Rescued From: Missouri
Born: September 2023
Arrived: February 2024
Breed: English Setter MixHis Story:
While on a search for a missing person, Cheeto’s rescuers spotted him and his mom alone in the wilderness. Being a K9 handler and all-around dog lover, Mr. Landers recovered both mom and puppy and brought them back to his home at the conclusion of the search.
Upon further evaluation, Cheeto, so called as he stole a full bag of Cheetos off of one of the searcher’s vehicles and ate it before anyone could catch him, showed great working potential.
We excitedly asked Mr. Landers if he would be interested in collaborating with us to raise Cheeto through our Affiliate Trainer Program.
We are excited to follow Cheeto’s progress!
Follow along at 3R K9 Search Foundation -
Thomas
Hero Status: Just Arrived
Career Track: MantrailingFrom: TK Hot Retrievers
Born: February 2024
Arrived: April 2024
Breed: Labrador Retriever
His Story:
Thomas joins us from our breeding collaborators at TK Hot Retrievers.
He is a cousin to all of our Kaiser K9 Labrador Puppies below and nephew to Kaiser K9, Inc Graduate K9 Hugo (USAR NE-TF1).
We are thrilled to have Thomas in our program and are excited for what he will be able to contribute!
Program Graduates - Today’s Heroes
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Hugo
Graduated: December 2021
Career:
Live-Find USAR
Current Assignment:
Graduate of:
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
FEMA USAR NE-TF1
Handler: Sheila Stern
Hugo arrived at Kaiser K9 in April 2020.
Hugo was originally trained to be a medical response service dog and graduated our program initially in August 2021.
When circumstances with his handler changed, Hugo changed careers and began preparing for a career in Urban Search and Rescue.
He graduated again in December 2021 and started his new career at Search Dog Foundation, where he completed his training and graduated in January 2023 paired with NE-TF1 Handler Sheila Stern. -
Odyssey
Graduated: January 2023
Career:
Facility K9
Current Assignment:
Dorchester County Department of Emergency Services
Odyssey arrived at Kaiser K9 in December 2022.
Odyssey was surrendered by his owners who could not longer care for him. Left alone in a backyard pen most of his young life, Odyssey had to learn everything about life.
Despite it all, he always had the sweetest, kindest soul.
Odyssey found his purpose treating the hearts and minds of emergency services personnel- keeping the people who keep us safe, safe. -
Mobi
Graduated: March 2023
Career:
Police K9 - Narcotics Detection and Tracking
Current Assignment:
Graduate of:
K-9 Protectors
Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office
Mobi arrived at Kaiser K9 in May 2022.
Mobi’s family recognized at a young age that he had the potential to be a great working dog. At the time he was evaluated at around 5 months of age he showed great promise. He spent many months learning about the world away from his previously rural life and learned to absolutely love fetch, tug, and finding his toy.
Mobi flew through his aptitutde evaluations and quickly achieved graduate status. After a few months of finding the right fit, he was accepting into and donated to the Police K9 Training Program with K-9 Protectors, a 501c3 non-profit that trains rescue dogs for police careers.
Mobi graduated from K-9 Protectors and was donated to Middlesex. County Sheriff’s Office as a Police K9 providing Narcotics Detection, Tracking, and Community Ambassador services. -
Prim
Graduated: June 2023
Career:
SAR Mantrailing
Current Assignment:
Kansas Search And Rescue
Prim arrived at Kaiser K9 in December 2022.
Prim and her brother were found by Rimertown Rescue founder Melanie Davis Thrift in a cold, dark roadside ditch at 5 weeks old. She nursed them back to health and one of her supporters reached out to see if there were any hound-savvy working homes interested in this firey girl.
Prim arrived ready to work and flew through her proficiency screenings. She graduated our program at only 8 months old.
She was born for this and all she needed was a helping hand to get her where she needed to go.
From being found to finding the lost, Prim’s life is the story of cyclical empathy and love.
Prim was originally donated to Quapaw Nation K9 Search Team, however, the team was restructured in 2023. Thankfully, a member of Kansas Search And Rescue happily added Prim to her life-saving team! -
Qubit
Graduated: March 2024
Career:
Explosivives Detection
Current Assignment:
Alpha Public Safety and ConsultingQubit was a very young puppy and living in an Alabama shelter when shelter employees requested she be euthanized.
Thankfully, the veterinarian tasked with the job saw Qubit as a friendly, healthy puppy and saved her life.
Knowing she was destined for greatness, this veterinarian reached out to the working dog community for help placing her.
We are so grateful that her life was saved. Qubit very quickly showed enthusiasm and proficiency for a detection career.
She is now employed as an explosives detection K9 with Alpha Public Safety, a private security firm in Atlanta, Georgia, where she will be tsked with keeping the public safe from explosive threats.
Pilot Puppy Program participants!
These puppies were a part of our feasibility program to ensure the viability of our mission.
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Alder
Graduated: May 2022
Career:
Live-Find USAR
Current Assignment:
Graduate of:
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
FEMA USAR OK-TF1
Handler: Jessica White
Donated by: Kaiser K9
Born: May 2021 -
Sassafras
Graduated: May 2022
Career:
Live-Find USAR
Current Assignment:
Graduate of:
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
FEMA USAR CA-TF3
Handler: Phil KleinheinzDonated by: Kaiser K9
Born: May 2021 -
Chestnut
Graduated: May 2022
Current Assignment:
Search Dog Foundation Lifetime Care Program
Adopted October 2022
Donated by: Kaiser K9
Born: May 2021 -
Walnut
Graduated: May 2022
Current Assignment:
Search Dog Foundation Lifetime Care Program
Adopted May 2023
Volunteer Sea Turtle Conservation Team
Donated by: Kaiser K9
Born: May 2021
Today’s heroes produced by Kaiser K9
These puppies were produced
as a part of Kaiser K9’s breeding program
between 2018 - 2021
to help produce the next generation of heroes.
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Finnegan
Certified Live-Find USAR K9 — MA-TF1
Certified Wilderness Air Scent K9 — MACRTBorn: July 2018
Certified: October and November 2020
Trained by: Jennifer Brown, Jackie Jacobs
Handler: Jackie Jacobs -
Andy
Certified Wilderness Air Scent K9 — CHESARDA
Born: May 2019
Certified: January 2023
Trained by: Kaiser K9, Sandy Popp
Handler: Sandy Popp -
Casey
Certified Live-Find USAR K9 — NJ-TF1
Born: May 2019
Certified: October 2021
Trained by: Penn Vet Working Dog Center
Handler: Lori Rauer Stevens -
Leslie
Certified Live-Find USAR K9 — CA-TF4
Born: May 2019
Certified: April 2021
Trained by: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Handler: Erik Folkenstrom -
Steven
Certified – Live Find USAR K9 - CA-TF5 and RTF7
Born: September 2020
Certified: November 2022
Trained by: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Handler: Eric Darling -
Diana
Certified Live Find USAR K9 - CA-TF8
Born: September 2020
Certified: May 2023
Trained by: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Handler: Brad Bacon -
Ross
Certified Live Find USAR K9 - NJ-TF1
Born: September 2020
Certified: October 2022
Trained by: Penn Vet Working Dog Center
Handler: Diana Akert -
Hope
Certified Live Find USAR K9 - CA-TF4
Born: September 2020
Certified: March 2023
Trained By: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Mandy Tisdale
Handler: Mandy Tisdale -
Hawthorne
Live Find USAR K9 - CA-TF2/USA-2
Born: May 2021
Trained by: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Handler: Alexis Miller