Search And Rescue Dogs From Around The Country Get Recertified In Tulsa

In many disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes, search and rescue dogs are sent out to help find victims in the rubble. A handful of those dogs and their trainers came to Tulsa from around the country to get recertified in their search and rescue skills.

When dogs and handlers arrived at the test, it looked like many disaster sites they'd been to before, but this one is man-made specifically for the dogs to certify their search and rescue skills.

Several dogs ran through the giant pile of rubble, made to look like a collapsed building.

"They're utilizing their nose to find the scent that they cannot see and that's what causes them to give us their trained response which is a bark alert," said Eric Darling, the Chief Evaluator for the test. 

The dogs put their search and rescue skills to the test to keep their skills up to date so they can keep saving lives.

"We need to make sure that all teams are at the standard to go out there and find any live victim that would still be out there," Darling said. 

One of the teams, Robin Mendenhall and her dog Tallulah, has been a part of the Tulsa Police Task Force for about 7 years. Together, they've been to a building collapse in Muskogee and hurricanes around the country.

"She's been doing this since she was about a year old," Mendenhall said about Tallulah. 

Robin and Tallulah practice their skills weekly to make sure they're ready for their next deployment.

"It keeps them in shape, and then it also keeps their skills up so whenever we do get the call, we know that our dogs are prepared and ready to go out and find somebody's loved one," Mendenhall said. 

Some handlers said this training is important for dogs that have traveled here from around the country.

"The dogs that are coming in from Kansas and Florida to see something different. The more that they can see, the better prepared they are for whenever the next disaster wherever it may happen," said Darling. 

But for some, working with these dogs is more than just a job.

"Just that bond that you have between myself and her as my canine partner, really can't describe it," Mendenhall said.

It's the connection of being man's best friend.

"Being her partner, it's the best part of my job. She did good today," Mendenhall said.