Training, certification for volunteers takes around 18 months to complete; deadline to apply is Thursday, Aug. 1

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is in need of volunteer K-9 handlers and qualified dogs to join its Search and Rescue team.

Tasked with missions such as wilderness area searches, trailing and human remains detection, K-9 handlers and their respective canines will undergo training and certification to prepare for the role.

The opportunity is not for the faint of heart. Training and certification take around 18 months to complete, with training sessions twice a week. Dogs and their handlers must be on call most hours of the day.

“It’s always been a fairly small team. With a recently retired dog, that took us down to three certified dogs for the entire county, and we’re looking to beef up our numbers to be better available to help with missions,” said John Lovegrove, K-9 team leader for JCSO Search and Rescue. “It’s a tremendous time commitment to be a K-9 handler, and you also need to be physically fit to be able to search with the dog in a wilderness environment or around town.”

The deadline to apply is Thursday, Aug. 1. Those interested may apply at jacksoncountyor.gov/departments/sheriff/divisions/search_and_rescue/index.php.

The start of K-9 handler training is during the final week of September.

“We’ve had probably close to two dozen people inquire, and a few have already submitted applications, so we’ll see how many show up to the academy,” Lovegrove said. “There will be another academy and deadline in the spring of next year.”

The sheriff’s office prefers to train canines under 2 years old, and certain breeds are preferred for their mobility and other traits, Lovegrove said.

“Some dogs are not all that mobile, and it’s not too good of an idea to have a wilderness dog be a pug,” Lovegrove added. “Retrievers, herding dogs, hounds — those are the ideal breeds.” 

To qualify for the human side of the job, K-9 handlers must be physically fit, comfortable using technology such as radios and GPS devices, and have a reliable vehicle capable of transporting their dog.

The K-9 team assists law enforcement and the community in a variety of ways.

“The typical mission, it varies quite a bit, could be looking for lost mushroom hunters on a mountain or a wilderness search,” Lovegrove said.

The search area can range from 40 to 60 acres for each dog when searching for a missing person with JCSO Search and Rescue, according to Lovegrove.

“They can follow that specific scent through the wilderness or urban areas,” Lovegrove said.

For more information, contact JCSO Search and Rescue’s K-9 team at jcso.sar.k9@gmail.com.

“We’re really thankful to the sheriff with all the support he gives to Search and Rescue,” Lovegrove said.

Reach reporter James Sloan at jsloan@rv-times.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.