# SAR in Michigan



## Jennifer Frank (Jul 14, 2007)

I am interested in what is required to do SAR in Michigan. I've been told the dog has to be AKC for the certification, and some tell me that is not true. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I do know dogs do not have to be AKC registered to be certified for SAR. I'm sure Konnie Hein will cruise by at some point. She can give you the ins and outs about SAR. I know it's a lot of work on both the handler and the dog.

DFrost


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

AKC registration is not required by any SAR group that I'm aware of. If you happen upon a group that requires AKC registration, run as fast as you can in the other direction. Canine SAR is not about registrations or breeds, its about acquiring, training and maintaining the best tool for the job of finding lost people.

My advice is to find a local SAR group near you and spend some time with them. Certainly they will give you a good idea of what's required to be a member.

Here are a few Michigan groups:
http://www.k-9one.org/
http://www.michigansar.org/
http://www.superiorsar.org/mambo/
http://www.musar.org/about.html

What prompts your interest?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

The ONLY thing I have heard of in that regard to a registration "requirement" a statement that the National Police Bloodhound Association requires proof that a bloodhound is pure with their assertion that only a pure bloodhound's testimony is admissible in court.

This is what I got from a friend who works a bloodhound, is a reserve officer, and has attended police bloodhound training with this group. I don't know whether or not that is an accurate statement.

Not saying their is any validity to that assertion just saying I have heard something to that effect and maybe that is where that came from.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

<<<a statement that the National Police Bloodhound Association requires proof that a bloodhound is pure with their assertion that only a pure bloodhound's testimony is admissible in court.>>

There are organizations that maintain that stance. I'm not in agreement. It's based on an old court decision. Newer court decisions could easily be argued to supplant that ancient thinking. I'm performance based. A dog's pedigree means nothing to me. I use them for what they can do for me, not based on where they came from. If I was a breeder, perhaps I'd have a different perspective. I'm an end user, so to speak, I base a dogs worth totally on it's ability to perform the task for which it is trained.

DFrost


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

The court thing was the only thing I did know if it was "valid" for a police tracking dog. Down here they run a lot of bloodhoundxcoonhound crosses anyway.

I don't know anyone else who gives a rats rear end about the pedigree and registration status of a search dog unless it is going to be bred.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

That old law was speaking directly about scent discrimination as in picking a person out of a lineup from something that was scented. I still disagree with it. Training records should be the determining factor, not a dog's pedigree.

DFrost


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

David Frost said:


> I base a dogs worth totally on it's ability to perform the task for which it is trained.
> DFrost


Absolutely!!!


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## Jennifer Frank (Jul 14, 2007)

Thank you everyone for your helpful information!

I have always been interested in SAR. I did tracking with my mal for fun a while back and had a blast, but found nothing I could do with her in UKC, except maybe SAR. I like the idea of being able to volunteer my time to help and have a blast doing it with my dog. A fireman that I walk with in a local park told me I should check into it... so I am!


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