The Yavapai County Search and Rescue K9 unit is often called upon to conduct a criminal investigation search by the Sheriff’s Office. In February, our K9 team went through a Crime Scene K9 Investigation seminar. The K9s are required to recertify every 2 years. Teaching the five-day course is Matt Zareella—and internationally known K9 instructor who is also the owner of American Patriot K9 Training and representative for the International Police Working Dogs Association (IPWDA).
A retired State Trooper based out of Rhode Island, Matt has trained K9 teams all over the country. He also travels all over the world, working his K9 on recovering lost persons and MIA soldiers. He has been coming to Yavapai County for three years to train and certify the Search K9 Unit in various areas of Cadaver and Live Find disciplines. You might recognize his name from the movie, Rescued by Ruby, where he portrayed the training instructor.
Our team was able to train at several different locations in the quad cities during this Crime Scene K9 Investigation course. For the K9 fire-investigation part of the class, we trained at the Central Arizona Fire Academy. For our building searches, we trained at the Jeep Posse House and at Little Dealer, Little Prices RV dealer. For the vehicle searches, we trained at the You Pick It salvage yard and Prescott Tire Pro.
Like most of the members of the Yavapai County Search and Rescue teams, our K9 unit is also trained in wilderness first aid, tracking, lost person behavior, and K9 first aid. The K9 team carries what is called a Fido bag that’s used for dogs requiring basic medical treatment like oxygen and fluids. In the past, the team had to help a dehydrated dog belonging to its missing owner during a search operation. As you can tell, our K9 unit is highly trained in any situation that may occur.
Our YCSRT K9 Team is a non-profit organization that’s kept going through donations and grants. Please consider donating to help pay for our equipment and ongoing training. Visit us on Facebook at YCSRTK9unit for more information.
