Ohio Special Response Team K-9, BESA, wins major national award!

In a competition involving more than 600 extremely talented K-9s, The American Kennel Club AKC Awards for Canine Excellence have been announced. There were five categories of K-9 competency and service. They included, Exemplary Companion, Search and Rescue, Service Dog, Therapy Dog, and Uniformed Service Dog.

The Ohio Special Response Team is proud to announce that our very own BESA. with handler Sarah Gentry, was awarded the "Search and Rescue ACE Award". BESA is a 10 year old German Shepherd credentialed in a wide range of search capabilities. These include: live person find with area search and disaster response, as well as trailing; human remains detection on both land and water; with specialty certifications in crime scene and large source detection. BESA is also the first (and at this time, only) K-9 in the United States to become credentialed in locating hidden Human Trafficked Victims / Human Oder Detection by the United States Police Canine Association. BESA and Sarah also participated in recovery efforts in Western North Carolina after the tragedy of Hurricane Helene.

The winners in each category were featured in a special broadcast, AKC Heroes: 2024 Awards for Canine Excellence which premiered on Sunday, December 15th on ESPN2. Please take a moment and watch these five exceptional K-9 heroes. They genuinely personify the concept of devotion. The video is also currently available for viewing on the AKC.TV web site: https://akc.tv/episode?id=12247

The Ohio Special Response Team is the designated Search & Rescue Resource (ESF-9) identified in the State of Ohio Emergency Operations Plan. Team members are trained and credentialed via National Association for Search and Rescue, Mountain Rescue Association, National Land SAR School, International Police Working Dog Association, and other respected professional development entities. This all volunteer team has seven units distributed around the state and regularly responds to missing persons searches and other incidents.

Interested in becoming a SAR operator? The Ohio Special Response Team has openings for focused individuals in all areas of operations and support. No prior experience is required - we train and we help fit operations into your work or personal schedule. Contact us for an interview!

Visit the Ohio Special Response Team online at: http://OhioSpecialResponseTeam.org