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Worthy Causes: Louisiana Search and Rescue Dog Team

 

A local search and rescue team played an integral part in the recovery of Katrina victims. The canines of the Louisiana Search and Rescue Dog Team assisted agencies by utilizing their scent and agility capabilities while covering miles of rubble and checking countless homes. The team continues to respond to agency requests to search homes in the Katrina-affected areas.

The canine search and rescue concept was introduced in Louisiana in 1989 by co-founders Lisa Higgins and Dee Wild. Higgins began pursuing the idea after noticing that dogs were not being utilized here as they were in other parts of the country. By January 1991, LaSAR was founded as a volunteer, non-profit organization involved in search and rescue of lost or missing individuals. Higgins credits the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department for allowing her the opportunity to establish LaSAR, and has worked in conjunction with the organization ever since.

On LaSAR’s first search, Higgins and her canine partner, Frosty, located the body of a sixteen-year-old drowning victim that was four feet under water and three feet under sand. “Until then, no one around here knew dogs had this ability,” Higgins says.

Since May 1991, LaSAR has responded to more than 300 call-outs spanning eight states and Canada. LaSAR search dogs have successfully rescued numerous Alzheimer patients and lost hunters. In the past, the dogs assisted in the New Orleans Riverwalk disaster, the Amtrak disaster in Saraland, Ala. and the Columbia space shuttle tragedy. Higgins, recalling the latter, says, “I found myself rubbing elbows with astronauts, whom I considered to be the nation’s heroes. But they kept telling us, ‘No, you are the nation’s heroes.’” She adds, “I have done things through search and rescue that I could never have imagined.”

LaSAR training involves both the dog and its owner/handler. It includes first aid, CPR, search protocol, crime scene preservation, wilderness survival, hazmat awareness and blood-borne pathogens. Trained dogs are able to identify human scent and distinguish one human scent from another. Strict national certification standards are required of all LaSAR teams. These teams are certified in one or more of the following disciplines: wilderness, water, building, cadaver, disaster and urban capabilities.

LaSAR is available to local, state and federal agencies at no cost. The organization holds membership in the National Association for Search and Rescue and Southeast Louisiana Search and Rescue.

The canine search and rescue effort involves high-tech equipment, which is often provided to LaSAR from other agencies. In order to reach their goal of becoming self-sufficient, LaSAR is accepting tax-deductible donations for equipment. Donations may be designated for the purchase of a specific item or for use at the team’s discretion.

If you are interested in donating, send a check made payable to LaSAR Dog Team to the following address: Louisiana Search and Rescue Dog Team; P.O. Box 2477; Slidell, LA 70459.