Help a Search and Rescue K9
Donation protected
I am Gus, a five-year-old Labrador Retriever and former FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) search dog. As an urban disaster search dog, I am trained to find people still alive under collapsed buildings or during natural disasters. In 2015 I started my career and moved to New Mexico to live with my handler and friend, Dayna Dominguez. Together, Dayna and I committed many hours to training and certifying to become a FEMA K9 Urban Disaster Response Team.
In 2016, for reasons Dayna could not have foreseen, the FEMA team in New Mexico was disbanded. This left her with a very difficult decision: give me up or find creative solutions to keep up with all my vet bills, food and training costs. I’m happy to say Dayna found a way to keep us together. We’ve continued fostering our close bond and teamwork by transitioning into a Wilderness Search and Rescue K9 team. As a wilderness search and rescue team we are on call 24-7 to respond to lost person callouts. Typically, these searches are for people who are lost or injured in the woods but they may also be searches for example children or Alzheimer’s patients who have wondered away from home. Dayna puts in countless volunteer hours and her own money to train and certify me for search and rescue work. Just recently I certified with NASAR (National Association for Search & Rescue) as an Area II live find dog. I am happy I still have a valuable job to help our community. Just the few training seminars and tests Dayna has planned for me this year cost her about $500. General health maintenance and food a year cost her around $1000 and the cost for multiple weekly trainings, travel, and maintaining search gear is hard to estimate but can add up quickly for us.
Recently, I saw a dentist and the doctor found some unexpected problems that-- if left unattended long-- would have devastating consequences. The doctor has estimated it will cost Dayna ~$3000. I feel terrible because now Dayna is scrambling to cover the expense. Could you pitch in a little towards my care and consider sharing this crowdfunding campaign on your social media pages? Every little bit will help go towards this medical bill and my future training needs!
In 2016, for reasons Dayna could not have foreseen, the FEMA team in New Mexico was disbanded. This left her with a very difficult decision: give me up or find creative solutions to keep up with all my vet bills, food and training costs. I’m happy to say Dayna found a way to keep us together. We’ve continued fostering our close bond and teamwork by transitioning into a Wilderness Search and Rescue K9 team. As a wilderness search and rescue team we are on call 24-7 to respond to lost person callouts. Typically, these searches are for people who are lost or injured in the woods but they may also be searches for example children or Alzheimer’s patients who have wondered away from home. Dayna puts in countless volunteer hours and her own money to train and certify me for search and rescue work. Just recently I certified with NASAR (National Association for Search & Rescue) as an Area II live find dog. I am happy I still have a valuable job to help our community. Just the few training seminars and tests Dayna has planned for me this year cost her about $500. General health maintenance and food a year cost her around $1000 and the cost for multiple weekly trainings, travel, and maintaining search gear is hard to estimate but can add up quickly for us.
Recently, I saw a dentist and the doctor found some unexpected problems that-- if left unattended long-- would have devastating consequences. The doctor has estimated it will cost Dayna ~$3000. I feel terrible because now Dayna is scrambling to cover the expense. Could you pitch in a little towards my care and consider sharing this crowdfunding campaign on your social media pages? Every little bit will help go towards this medical bill and my future training needs!
Organizer
Dayna Dominguez
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
