Traildogs K9 SAR

08/06/2026

Big news from training today: Kane just recertified in L.E.T.S. Human Remains Detection - on both land and water.
Certifications like this don’t happen once and stay valid forever. It requires periodic retesting under evaluation conditions to confirm the skill set still meets the standard, and today Kane did exactly that across both disciplines.
Maintaining current certification across both land and water HRD is part of what allows Traildogs to stay dispatch-ready for law enforcement at the standard this work requires.
Huge thank you to Katherine Gibbs Heselton at Merrill's Detector Dog Service for administering the test. Evaluators like her are the reason certifications in this field actually mean something.
Proud handler moment. Muscatatuk here we come.

08/05/2026

A big thank-you to Suzuki for helping us aqcuire a boat motor for our water recovery team - and it’s already been put to work.
Since we received it, this motor has powered training days and an actual search operation on the water. That’s exactly the kind of immediate, real-world impact a gift like this makes for a volunteer team like ours.
Water searches depend on getting to the right spot quickly and safely, and equipment like this makes a measurable difference in how fast and how far we can go when it matters most.
If your business is looking for a way to support search and rescue work locally, we’d love to talk. Send us a DM or reach out through traildog.org to start the conversation.
Thank you again, Suzuki RePower by Mastry Engine Center - this one’s already making a difference. As always, thank you Robert Smith for all of the assistance on our water training!

08/03/2026

I don’t have any photos or videos of his search, but Bowie got to do some Big Boy sniffy stuff today in a vacant office building, and rocked it. Strange environment, elevators, slippy floors, new scent - he did so incredibly well.

Once his brain fully gels, he is going to be an amazing dog. Not too quickly though - I’m not ready for him to grow up yet 💚

Thank you to Alex Collier of Traildogs K9 SAR, as well as Mandy and Calder for setting this up!

08/01/2026

Some exciting news outside the usual search and rescue updates: our founder, Alex Collier, was recently interviewed and featured in She is ATL 2, a short film from the She Is ATL docuseries - and most of her interview is about the work this team does.
It’s a nice bit of recognition for Traildogs to be part of a project celebrating Atlanta women, and a chance for a different audience to hear about what a volunteer K9 search and rescue team actually does.
Link in Bio for the full feature, and a huge congratulations to each of the amazing women in this project.

07/25/2026

One-time gifts keep us running today. Monthly gifts let us plan for next year.
We’re launching Sponsor a Search: a recurring monthly gift, any amount, that goes toward training, gear, and vet care on an ongoing basis. It’s a small ask that adds up to something real - a $10/month sponsor covers roughly a scent kit’s worth of training supplies every few months, without you having to think about it again.
If you’ve given once and it felt good, this is the version that keeps giving on autopilot. Set it up through the Crowded link in our bio.

07/24/2026

We’ve shown you the work for two weeks. Today, the ask.
Traildogs runs entirely on donations - no government funding, no fees charged to families, ever. As a registered 501(c)(3), every gift is tax-deductible, and every dollar goes straight back into keeping dogs trained and trucks running.
Four easy ways to give, all linked in our bio: PayPal, Cash App ($traildogsk9), our Crowded fundraising page, or our Amazon wishlist if you’d rather send gear directly. Pick whichever feels easiest - what matters is that it gets a dog closer to ready. Links in Bio.

07/23/2026

Ever wonder what a donation to Traildogs actually turns into? Here’s the honest, no-frills breakdown - we get asked this a lot, and we’re always glad to answer it.
$25 covers a toy reward for training, or the supplies to build a scent kit.
$75 keeps a bag of quality food in the bowl.
$150 covers a vet visit, keeping a working dog healthy and ready to deploy.
$400+ goes toward a training class or a step closer to certification.
None of it is glamorous. All of it is the reason a dog is ready the second the phone rings. Whatever you’re able to give turns into something real - that’s really the whole point.

07/21/2026

Ten years ago today, Darwin was born. Today, we’re celebrating a decade of him showing up for this work.
Darwin is one of our certified working boxers, trained in trailing and human remains detection on both land and water. A decade in, he’s still the most reliable nose on this team.
Ten years of training, deployments, and long days most people never see. Happy birthday, Darwin - here’s to the next chapter.

07/16/2026

Not every dog on this team searches for someone who’s missing. Some of them show up for what happens after.
Our certified therapy dog team doesn’t train for trailing or detection. They train for something just as demanding in a different way: sitting quietly next to a first responder who just left a hard scene, or a family who just got news no one wants to hear, and being exactly the kind of presence that doesn’t ask anything of you in return.
First responders carry a lot that most people never see. Communities that just lived through a critical incident carry more. A calm dog leaning against your leg doesn’t fix that, but it helps - and it’s not just sentiment. Calm, trained animals can measurably ease a person’s stress in the moment, which is exactly why this kind of support exists as its own discipline.
This is the quieter half of what Traildogs does. It doesn’t get the same attention as a water search or a trailing reel, but it deserves to.
Tag someone who’s had a hard week and could use the reminder that dogs are pretty good at this part too.

07/15/2026