By Khalida Sarwari
In front of every great search and rescue respond-er, there is a hardworking and talented dog. Throughout the years, search dogs and their handlers respond not only to major disasters but also the day-to-day tasks of looking for a missing child, a wandering dementia patient or lost hiker.
On May 5, a pet wash fundraiser will be held for one organization that provides trained search and rescue dog teams to law enforcement at no cost.
The fundraiser, hosted by all 41 Pet Food Express stores in the state, will benefit the California Rescue Dog Association, the largest K-9 search and rescue organization in the U.S. with more than 110 trained and certified search dog teams on call.
CARDA teams respond to more than 300 searches per year, either as a resource for California Emergency Management Agency, a state agency that assists local police and sheriff departments, or as members of their county search and rescue teams.
The fundraiser will help enable CARDA to maintain a veterinary fund for injured dogs and defray the costs of driving to searches, in addition to other costs associated with dispatching teams. CARDA members pay for nearly every cost associated with the volunteer work including the dog, dog food, equipment, gas, vehicle maintenance, outside training and time lost from work. They also pay roughly half of CARDA’s organizational expenses.
“Search and rescue dogs work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” said Kris Black, a handler who resides in Los Gatos. She added that in addition to reimbursing handlers for the other costs, “this fundraiser helps fund emergency veterinary care in case a canine gets injured on a search.”
Black and other handlers will be at the Pet Food Express stores to meet the public on May 5.
The two local fundraisers will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pet Food Express, 1902 S. Bascom Ave. and 15466 Los Gatos Blvd.
Pet wash tokens can be used at any Pet Food Express that has a self-serve pet wash, which provides a tub, shampoo, towels, air dryer, apron and after-bath tub clean-up. The tokens do not have to be used on the day of the fundraiser.
Pet Food Express stores will also accept cash donations for CARDA at their registers on May 5 and 6.
For more information about CARDA or to make a direct donation, visit www.carda.org.
