The following letter was written by Harford County Councilman Joe Woods. A copy was provided to The Dagger:
It is with mixed emotions, I announce the official retirement of Search and Rescue (SAR) Canine Katie. Katie is a member of the Harford County Technical Rescue Team; the Maryland Task Force 2 (MD-TF2) Urban Search and Rescue Team; and a past member of Chesapeake Search Dogs. She has trained in many states around the country. Katie was certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWADA) as an Urban Search and Rescue Canine. She received top honors at two national training events. Katie has taken an active role in many searches in and around the state of Maryland and was instrumental in locating a number of victims.
Effective on December 5th (Katie’s 8th birthday) at 2400 hours, Katie’s IPWADA Urban Search and Rescue Certification expired. This certification was her last remaining national SAR certification and I will not be able to have her recertified in any of her certifications do to time constraints. Katie will live out the rest of her life as a happy and healthy retired service canine with Laura and me. We still plan to put smiles on people faces by doing demos and visiting people at schools, VA’s, and hospitals. Of course you can still come see her at one of my offices or at www.katiedog.com .
Katie and I have had a fulfilling and exciting Canine Search and Rescue career. I would like to thank everyone for their support and guidance. Especially when Katie was injured and we all expected her career to end way too early. I’m very thankful for the support over the years from the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company, the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association, and the Harford County Technical Rescue Team. Without that support my great experience with Katie would never have occurred and Harford County would not have a Search Canine or a Technical Search and Rescue program today.
Thank You,
Joseph M. Woods
TRT-11, SAR Team Leader, Harford County Technical Rescue Team
Chief, Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company, Inc.
COO, Paramedical Personnel of Maryland, Inc.
Councilman, District B Harford County Maryland
Photos from www.katiedog.com
This is the most inane article ever published by The Dagger. While I certainly respect the work of the rescue dogs in our county, there is no reason to publish this letter, especially since the reason why the rescue dog is “retiring” is because its owner doesn’t want to give the time and effort necessary to re-certify the dog. C’mon Dagger, give us some real news stories.
Bart: You are an idiot. Some of us like to hear of Harford County happenings other than homicides in Edgewood.
Bart-Mommiedearest is right. If you hate dogs so much, don’t read the articles about them. I love it and think that the dagger should do more fell good stories about things in our community. GO DOGS!!!!!!!
Although time is stated as the reason for Katie’s retirement, I’m sure it was not the only one. Eight years old is a very good age to retire an urban search and rescue dog. It is better to retire than needing to euthanize the dog after a major injury because the handler and the team can’t or will not make the decision to retire the dog.
Some items to understand about search and rescue dogs and handlers:
The standard non urban search-ready dog needs once a week training sessions, about 4 to 8 hours along with frequent focus sessions 5 to 60 minutes 3 or more times per week. The urban search-ready dog requires an added agility and obedience training for 10 to 60 minutes per day. The dog and handler must mission-ready 24 hours a day for 24 to 48 hour deployments and the dog must be capable of working for 4-8 hours without interruption and without distraction for that time. Also, this type of search dog does not just run on field and in the woods looking for lost people. Unlike wilderness search dogs, urban search dogs search buildings (standing or collapsed), rubble piles, sewers and large underground pipes, trenches, and structures or items unsafe for a human to enter. (You can go to: http://www.disasterdog.org ; http://www.fema.gov/emergency/usr/index.shtm ; http://www.nasar.org for more info)
The average retirement for a search dog is 5 to 10 years old and it is depending on the breed and the individual dog. Katie being 8 years old and having 3 major search rescue related injuries including 2 knee replacements is very good. Urban search and rescue is very hard on a dogs body most young search dogs cannot pass the basic agility testing for urban search and very unlikely for older dogs. For the ones that do pass they only can do it once or twice and retire younger than other types of search dogs. Also, the certifications are very expensive and the fees are paid pass or fail. Most search teams will only send dogs that will pass the tests.
Retiring and dog is a very hard decision to make at times. I have made that choice to retire a dog and I know that that decision is hard. That decision is often made by the search team, veterinarians, and the handler working together. I’m sure Chief Woods and the others involved made this decision based on more than lack of time and more on the age of Katie. It is very demanding to train any type of service dog and with the extra yearly requirement for the search dog handler it amazing anyone would take one the responsibility. Both the handler and the dog need to be at the top of their game, someone’s life depends on it. If it was my child or family member was lost and the only chance of survival are a dog and a person being able to read that dog, I would only want the very best dogs and handlers that can do the job.
Congratulations Katie! I hope that you, Chief Woods, and your family have a long happy healthy life together after retirement. Because most search dogs and their handlers don’t get that opportunity. I wish that I did.
Jeff H.
Search and Rescue
“…that others may live.”
Uh Oh Bart has up set the Animal lovers. it certainly is refreshing, to see a human interest story.if you have never had a dog. your missing some thing. they are intelligent comical etc.
And this one will remain with people. who take care of it.
Although time is stated as the reason for Katie’s retirement, I’m sure it was not the only one. Eight years old is a very good age to retire an urban search and rescue dog. It is better to retire ad dog early than needing to euthanize the dog after a major injury because the handler and the team can’t or will not make the decision to retire the dog.
Some items to understand about search and rescue dogs and handlers:
The standard non urban search-ready dog needs once a week training sessions, about 4 to 8 hours along with frequent focus sessions 5 to 60 minutes 3 or more times per week. The urban search-ready dog requires an added agility and obedience training for 10 to 60 minutes per day. The dog and handler must mission-ready 24 hours a day for 24 to 48 hour deployments and the dog must be capable of working for 4 to 8 hours without rest and without being distracted from people,equipment, or animals in the search area. Also, this type of search dog does not just run on open field and in the woods looking for lost people. Unlike wilderness search dogs, urban search dogs search buildings (standing or collapsed); rubble piles; sewers and large underground pipes; trenches; and structures or items unsafe for a human to enter. (You can go to: http://www.disasterdog.org ; http://www.fema.gov/emergency/usr/index.shtm ; http://www.nasar.org for more info)
The average retirement for a search dog is 5 to 10 years old and it is depending on the breed and the individual dog. Katie being 8 years old and having 3 major search rescue related injuries including 2 knee replacements is very good. Urban search and rescue is very hard on a dogs body most young search dogs cannot pass the basic agility testing for urban search and very unlikely for older dogs. For the ones that do pass they only can do it once or twice and retire younger than other types of search dogs.
Also, the certifications are very expensive and the fees are paid pass or fail. Most search teams will only send dogs that will pass the tests. Retiring a dog is a very hard decision to make at times. I have made that choice to retire a dog and I know that decision is hard. That decision is often made by the search team, veterinarians, and the handler working together. I’m sure Chief Woods and the others involved made this decision based on more than lack of time and more on the age of Katie. It is very demanding to train any type of service dog and with the extra yearly requirements for the search dog handler it amazing anyone would take one that responsibility. Both the handler and the dog need to be at the top of their game, someone’s life depends on it. If it was my child or family member that was lost and the only chance of survival are a dog and a person being able to read that dog, I would only want the very best dogs and handlers that can do the job.
Congratulations Katie! I hope that you, Chief Woods, and your family have a long happy healthy life together after retirement. Because most search dogs and their handlers don’t get that opportunity. I wish that I did.
Jeff H.
Search and Rescue
“…that others may live.”
Bart, I agree with mommiedearest, you are an idiot. Stay away from my dogs. What a great story. I even forwarded the story to a co-worker who works with first responders.
I wish Katie a long, happy and healthy retirement.
I think all dog owners would agree that Katie is smarter than her owner, and along with Mickey Mouse, would make a better councilman than this clown.
Nope, not this owner of two dogs. Try your awkward insults in an article about politics next time.
Phil Dirt – This is an article about politics. The only reason this letter was published is because it was submitted by a Harford County Councilman (and one who recently paid The Dagger for advertising). Have you ever seen any other similar type story in The Dagger? I would argue that the letter is a self-serving statement from a politician (see his campaign website which also includes the letter).
No I haven’t ever seen a similar article in The Dagger probably because no other Search & Rescue canine has retired since the inception of The Dagger. I would hope and expect more articles of this type. I was not aware that The Dagger was a “politics only” website.
False. We publish plenty of letters/articles from people who have neither run for public office nor paid us any sum of money.
Care to test us? Write something up and send it our way.
Oh, but you have to use your real/full name.
I agree with Brian I read plenty of articles from politicians and political hopefuls on here that are letters for a cause whatever it may be.