Search And Rescue Dogs, Handlers Train At Tulsa Fire Academy

Search and rescue dogs with the national search dog foundation, along with their trainers from all over the region, are in Tulsa.

The teams are taking over the Tulsa fire academy and training on equipment firefighters typically use in search and rescue drills.

The handlers said the dogs can do what they can't, sniff out survivors who could be trapped underneath rubble or lost in the woods.

The training gets them one step closer to their next mission.

Waiting outside the Tulsa fire academy training tower, wagging their tails, the search and rescue dogs can't wait to get inside.

”The dogs that we look for are super high-driven for the toy, anywhere, anyplace, they don't care about anything,” said master trainer, Sonja Heritage.

Many of the dogs helped search for victims following the Moore tornado. Some have worked other national disasters, like 9/11 and the earthquake in Haiti.

"They won't quit, and that’s what you want looking for me or my loved ones when something tragic happens,” Heritage said. “Because it will, and we just have to be ready for them."

About a dozen dogs are part of the Oklahoma Task Force One team. Half of those belong to Tulsa-area handlers, many are Tulsa Firefighters.

They said the training gets them ready for the next disaster.

Each dog must clear every floor of the seven-story building and find people who could be trapped. It doesn't matter if hundreds of people are inside.

Heritage said, "They can be working around everyone and they know that's not the one they are looking for. They are looking for the one you can't see, the person who is buried."

The dogs go floor by floor, upstairs and around corners until they find what they are after.

Canine handler Adrienne Seibel said, "They operate off of breathe, so as long as you are breathing and have a heartbeat, they will find you.”

When Jager sniffs out a human, he barks and tells his handler then gets his toy. It's like a game of hide-and-seek.

Seibel said, "Our dogs are really smart and the weakest link is the handlers. So we have to trust our dogs to sniff them out and tell us which way to tell us where the victims are."

The training will continue Wednesday when the dogs will be searching above rubble to find people underneath.

The Oklahoma Task Force One team can be deployed for any disaster or to help search for missing victims. Seibel says she doesn’t believe the team is utilized as much as it could be because many people don’t realize they are available.

Law enforcement can contact the emergency management hotline to ask for assistance from Oklahoma Task Force One. Other agencies can call the incident resource hotline at 1-800-800-2481 if they would like search and rescue assistance from canines and their handlers.