What we’re about
Gallatin County Sheriff's Search & Rescue Dog Team is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing certified search dogs in Gallatin County and surrounding counties/states. Our teams work in all four seasons, assisting on searches for lost recreators, overdue hunters, missing children or individuals with dementia, autism, or other cognitive issues, drowning victims, avalanche victims, and more.
It's important for search dogs to find a wide variety of "lost people" in order to keep their skills in tip top condition – that's where you come in!
As a training volunteer, you might...
- Pretend to be lost, “hiding” in the woods for our air scent dogs to find you. Bring a chair, book, and thermos of tea, then enjoy the solitude!
- Set a track for our tracking dogs to follow, and then find you at the end. This can be great backcountry navigation practice!
- Help set up “blind” training problems to help test our handers’ skills – get creative!
- And... you will always get to play with dogs to reward them for a job well done!!
How it works:
- Training days are typically 9a - 4p, depending on the season, weather, and training location. We request that volunteers commit to either a half or full day, but we can be super flexible!
- Training locations vary based on season and weather as well. Example training locations include Crosscut Mountain Sports Center (summer) or Headwaters State Park (Spring/Fall/Winter) – typically, a short drive from Bozeman.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Alyssa at [email protected]
