Friends of Search Dog Network, we have chosen to participate in Brazos Valley Giving Day, an 18-hour event to be held on October 22, 2019. We humbly ask that you consider supporting us with a donation on that day, or beginning October 8th for pre-scheduled donations.

We are a 501(c)(3) organization that provides search services at no cost to the requesting agency.  Search Dog Network is a 100% volunteer team of unpaid professionals. We receive funds from our members, grants, and donations. Any funds donated will be used to purchase equipment to help us search more safely or effectively.

While our primary search area is the Brazos Valley (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Milam, Robertson and Washington Counties in Texas), we respond outside of this area when contacted by Law Enforcement or when requested as mutual aid by another Search & Rescue resource.

Donations on the Brazos Valley Giving Day web page may start at $10, with no maximum limit, and are open to anyone inside or beyond the Brazos Valley. Receipts for tax purposes will be provided within an hour of donation.

Thank you for your support!

Your dog’s eye is watering, sinks in and is reddened at times. Did he run into a mesquite shrub, get stung? Normal questions for SAR handlers and their trouble prone dogs! However, when the eye is involved, I recommend getting vet advice as soon as possible.

Brennan’s left eye was watering and sometimes reddened

Brennan experienced these symptoms and despite multiple vet visits, he lost vision in the left eye and eventually had to have it removed. We had participated in the free eye exam for service dogs several times at Gulf Coast Eye Clinic in Houston with some minor problems noted in his eye lids and a comment about the angles of his eye. Our last visit was in 2011. I should definitely have paid more attention to understanding the impact of bad angles. (By the way, this is an awesome opportunity for SAR handlers and their partners and I highly recommend you take advantage of it if you are eligible!! See ACVO/Merial Service dog eye exams, usually offered in the spring.)

Brennan’s left eye, reddened

When the symptoms started, we treated him for an eye infection and he had a small mass on his shoulder that was a mast cell tumor. He was noted to be anemic during his pre op blood work, so we delayed the surgery. By the time we got his blood work more normal, the mass had disappeared. The eye had a small corneal ulcer that we also treated.

We were referred back to the Houston eye clinic and they got us in quickly, just to confirm that he was blind in the left eye and given the diagnosis of glaucoma. Treatment began – there were 3 sets of drops for the involved eye (2- 3 x day) and 1 set of drops for the other eye (2 x day).

Brennan and Elyssa

By late September, we were losing the battle. The ulcer was progressing despite being trimmed and treated with antibiotics. He had been blind in the eye for some time with some compensation starting to evolve. The pressure in the eye was in the low 30s. Normal for a dog is 8 – 18. People report a great deal of pain and headache with elevated pressures and the vets believe he was also very uncomfortable.

The eye was removed in early October 2013, just after I had minor surgery as well. So we spent a few very quiet days and then began the journey back to work. To complicate matters, the mast cell tumor reappeared at his post op check for the eye. We waited a bit to allow recovery from the first surgery, then had the tumor and another small growth removed. After about 6 months, he had adjusted enough to catch a ball in the air, jump into the truck with only a minor delay, and return to full search training and his pet therapy visits.

Brennan’s left eye was removed in October, 2013

Due to the abnormal structure of his eye, we treat the right eye with drops to control the pressure 2 x day. He is being monitored by Gulf Coast eye clinic veterinarians, who come to TAMU 2 x month, every 3 to 6 months. The pressure in his right eye is staying in the low range of normal with the medication.

The good news is that SAR dogs need their noses more than both eyes.

He assisted with a recovery for the team on a search in June 2014 and it was truly a celebration of healing and teamwork for our SDN family!

We still like to play

Brennan came from the San Marcos Animal Shelter in 2009, heartworm positive and underweight, but one happy dog loving to chase a ball and tug. I am privileged to share his journey and hope his story will help someone else catch this disease in their canine partner.

After many months of hard work, SDN recently finished Phase I of our Operations Trailer project.  The addition of the trailer allows us to access the computer and information systems required to manage a complex search operation within a secure and weather resistant environment.  The trailer started life with Search Once Rescue Team of Lewisville, TX where it served as their operations center for 14 productive years.  SDN acquired the trailer in June of 2012 and pressed it into service at a search in Milam County.  We then began a long refit process building on the work of Search One.

The trailer served Search One well for 14 years

Members spent many hours scraping, sanding, hammering, and rebuilding where necessary.

Joel in his element

Blanton ponders life’s many questions

Off with the old

Viktor tackles the wiring

We were able to complete the work in stages, and continue to train with and deploy the trailer as required.

Trailer at Fort Boggy State Park before her shiny new decals

Jim briefs a team before deployment

Members track resources during a BVCART Exercise

After many long days and late nights, Phase I is complete.  Phase II will include improvements to the battery system, computer displays, and an expanded storage area.  As anyone with an RV or boat will testify, there is always more work to do!

Ellen at the revamped Plans station

Denise tracks her troops

Deployed at a search in College Station (courtesy KAGS – @KAGSnews)

A happy team & shiny new (to us) trailer

We could not have done it without the steadfast support of the following:

• Search One Rescue Team
• The George Bush Foundation
• Pilger’s Tire & Automotive
• The Bill and Jackie Clark Memorial Foundation
• The Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley
• Fast Signs
• RDM Audio

Search Dog Network would like to thank the Bryan-College Station Eagle for Wednesday’s wonderful article.  We appreciate the opportunity to share the hard work of our two legged and four legged team members with the community!

Stuart Villanueva/ The Eagle

K-9 handler Mary Haislet of the Search Dog Network and her dog, Noggin, trek through the woods while training at Lake Bryan on Tuesday.

Follow the link for the full article: Training Pays Off for Bryan’s Search Dog Network

Thank you to Kroger on Boonville Road for the cake!

Search Dog Network is celebrating our 16th birthday this month!

Search Dog Network originally started in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1996. The Team’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer was Dave Bartel, a retired El Paso County Deputy, Canine Handler and County Search & Rescue Coordinator.

In 1997 the Team established a Chapter in Bryan/College Station to meet the needs of the Brazos Valley. In 1998, while searching for a lost mushroom collector in the mountains of Colorado, Dave died of a heart attack. After about a year the Team in Colorado dissolved and the Team management moved to Texas.

Search Dog Network’s mission is to Train, Certify, and Deploy professional Search Teams to locate lost and missing persons.

Since 1997 we have deployed Teams on 93 missions, fielding 180 search teams. The Teams have included Canine Wilderness Air Scent, Canine Human Remains Detection, Canine Disaster Search, Canine Water Search as well as Ground Teams and a boat with Side Scan Sonar for Water Recovery.

Our strength comes from the dedication of our Team Members; we currently have trained 18 trained Volunteers and 8 certified Canines. In addition to our members we are able to call on our mutual aid agreements with other professional Teams in Texas including:

• Alamo Area Search & Rescue in San Antonio
• Travis County Search & Rescue in Austin
• Search One Rescue Team in Dallas
• Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department’s Rescue Team in Cy-Fair

In addition our Team gains experience by working with:

• Brazos Valley Child Abduction Response Team
• Brazos Valley Search & Rescue

Our “Birthday” present is an Operations Trailer that will allow us to better manage search operations and planning and better support the Teams in the field.

Newest team acquisition: Humminbird 1198c Sonar

SDN Team members training on the sonar at Lake Bryan

Thanks to a grant from the American Kennel Club, Search Dog Network was able to purchase a Humminbird 1198c Sonar unit. The team has been training on it since its receipt in May, 2012. This unit is a side-scan sonar that allows the user to view objects under the water to the sides of the boat. Also, it tells the user the water depth, boat speed, GPS coordinate, as well as other information. Members are training on it on a regular basis to increase proficiency.

This sonar unit is an important addition to SDN missions due to the number of water recovery missions for which we’re deployed. A water recovery canine is useful for narrowing down the search area in a big lake. The sonar can narrow this larger area down to a smaller area, so divers don’t have to search such a large area. This greatly increases diver safety.

Image from the sonar