by Joy Tiz, MS, JD
www.joytiz.com

"We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."
-- Will Rogers, 20th Century American humorist

Would you like to see a million dollar Babe? One with brains as well as beauty? Yet, no gold digging slacker, she. This girl has a serious work ethic.

Babe came to Police Dog Rescue, Inc. (PDR) [see photo at end of story] after her handler was injured in the line of duty. A dirt-bag intentionally ran him over with a car. Even after several surgeries, Babe's handler is still not doing well. Early retirement didn't appeal to Babe, however. She was bred for work and she needed to work. Her loving handler recognized this and PDR was able to place her with a deserving young handler in a police department near Houston.

Kaiser, a handsome German Shepherd needed help finding a suitable home as well. He was trained in wilderness Search and Rescue (SAR). When Kaiser's handler got married, Kaiser had issues with the new family member and her child. He was deemed too aggressive for SAR work and ended up with PDR. Once again, a deserving handler got the dog he'd been waiting for. With a little retraining, Kaiser did a career change, from SAR volunteer to law enforcement. He didn't mind, all he wanted to do was work.

Our working dogs rarely get the credit they truly deserve. They happily take drugs off of our streets and apprehend dangerous criminals. In return, they ask for a good game of ball and some love. The dogs are quite willing to check out airplanes for you, to ensure no explosives are on board. They like to assist firefighters after a suspicious fire by sniffing out accelerants that would point to arson. The Beagle Brigade proudly serves to prevent the flow of contraband at airports.

The 9/11 tragedy focused our attention on what being a hero really means. It is not being a rap star or an athlete. We came to idolize firefighters, cops and Rudy Giuliani. Just because the police K9s and SAR dogs aren't giving interviews is no reason to overlook their contribution to our well being.

The dogs deployed after the WTC disaster were trained in urban disaster work, certified and deployed by FEMA. The other dogs legitimately on scene were police K9s. They did a heck of a job in horrendous conditions.

Because all of us, everywhere, wanted to do something after 9/11, too many nice, well-meaning folks sent items to NYC for the dogs that were not appropriate or needed and taxed an overtaxed infrastructure by forcing the city to find warehouse space to store all the stuff that would never be used. Though we surely hope another 9/11 never happens, perhaps it's time to ask not what the K9s can do for you, but what you can do for the K9s.

FEMA teams are well equipped and have adequate funding. It is a government agency and does not accept donations of any kind. Your local SAR team, however, just may be in need of some help. All that equipment costs a bundle. Contact your nearest sheriff's department to find out if you have a volunteer group. One sure thing that almost always helps is to volunteer to be a "subject" who gets lost so the dogs can find you. Teams always need subjects. They'll love you for it and you'll be making a real contribution. Or check with NASAR. Talk to the team leader and find out what they need. Some groups have incorporated and obtained non-profit status so they can raise funds for the team.

One caveat: be wary of official sounding names that could be a scam. Some commercial trainers and private training groups give themselves impressive sounding names, designed to make you believe they are some sort of nationwide, benevolent SAR organization when in reality, you'll be lining the pockets of a few scam artists. One example of an established legitimate agency would be the American Rescue Dog Association (ARDA).

Does your community have a K9 unit? Talk to the leadership. What do they need? In some communities, funding is dangerously low. Perhaps you could pitch in with some fund raising? Or maybe you could go to the city council and make a stirring and compelling argument for whatever the dogs happen to need.
                                                                                 
The important thing is to ask what our K9 heroes need from us and how we can help them. This is the holiday season in which all of us will be looking at our lives differently. What was so important to us last year seems ludicrous after 9/11. Could it be that this is the year you choose to honor those four-footed Guardians of the Night who serve us so faithfully and so well?

The Writer at Work

Snow day in the Yucca Valley high desert area of California, as seen from the writer's front porch