Keb is my second search and rescue dog. As a puppy, she was quite a handful. She had unending energy, and she was fearless and willing to take on everything she was asked to do—full speed ahead. Keb began her training as an air scent dog finding live victims right away and shortly thereafter started training as a dual-purpose human remains detections dog (HRD). She was an eager, quick learner! Within a few years, we had certified in multiple SAR disciplines, including Wilderness Air Scent and Human Remains Detection, as well as Avalanche Rescue and First Responder Disaster.

Keb is still actively deploying though she is approaching the end of her SAR career. We have deployed on over 100 missions together and deployed two weeks over a month-long period in one of the largest disasters in Washington State: the OSO Landslide which claimed 43 lives, three of which Keb was responsible for finding. We’ve searched for the lost on high snowfields of Mount Rainier and found bones that helped solve decades-old crimes. We’ve searched for clandestine graves of murder victims. We’ve been called upon to volunteer our services in the dark, the wet, the snow, and cold in the rainforests and rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest. We’ve searched in urban areas with homeless camps, drug needles, and thick blackberry bushes, and even as far away as Scandinavia where Keb had a find which solved an 18-month-old mystery.

Keb has helped me become a better version of myself.