There are many opportunities to get involved with SSD, including supporting the team by volunteering to be a subject, providing gear, donating, and becoming a member. We also participate in local outreach opportunities to provide education on safe practices when hiking and how SAR dogs are trained and utilized in search efforts. For more information on joining SSD, please visit the membership page.
Be a Training Subject
In addition to canine handlers and field support personnel, SSD has a need for search subjects and other interested individuals such as members of other search and rescue teams wanting to cross train with a canine team. For our dogs’ training, it’s best when we practice with subjects our dogs don’t know. We have weekly trainings on Tuesday nights and the occasional Saturday or Sunday mornings. Please contact us if you would be willing to donate some of your time to help our canines.
What to expect – We love to have participants join us for training! We are happy to show you how the dogs work and you can see what it’s like for a dog to come find you. Typically, during training, you will be asked to “get lost.” We will provide you with a general area or have someone place you in a hiding spot. Then, we will have a few of our dogs come find you. Once a dog finds you, you (with the help of the dog handler) will get to reward the canine (this is the fun part)! Since our trainings are almost always outside, we ask that you dress accordingly as you will be sitting and waiting in between finds. Feel free to bring a backpack with water, snack, and an extra layer.
Donate
SSD is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit New Mexico search team serving our local community as well as the state of New Mexico. Our team is financially supported through donations. Donations are used to purchase team equipment, educational materials and support training. All donations are tax deductible. Please visit our donate page to provide a donation to SSD.
Amazon Smile
Do you shop on Amazon? There is a free and easy way to help our team financially. Amazon Smile is a program that donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon to a charity of your choice. All you need to do is add us on your Amazon app or to your smile.amazon.com web browser. Shop on amazon and they will do the rest! Although 0.5% of your purchases doesn’t seem like much, it really starts to add up! Since AmazonSmile Foundation is directly making the donation for you, you won’t pay extra for anything when you use AmazonSmile. However, this also means you won’t receive a tax deduction like you would if you donate to us directly. For a Mobile Device follow the instructions here. For shopping online, go to smile.amazon.com and select Sandia Search Dogs following these steps.
Spread the Word
Let your friends know what you’ve learned on our website. We would love to help educate the public on what SAR dogs do. Tell your friends about the cool work we do and encourage them to visit our webpage, donate, or even add us to their Amazon Smile! You and your friends can also follow us on Facebook to know what our cute dogs are up to!
Provide Gear and Supplies
Do you or your company have special skills/services or products that they would like to donate to our team? Examples of services include sewing services (for making new dog vests or sewing patches), printing and/or designing educational materials, dog training expertise, or grant writing skills. Examples of product donations that our team may need include dog toys, dog treats, outdoor gear, etc.
Outreach Opportunities
SSD often participates in educational opportunities with the public to provide outdoor safety tips and demonstrate how SAR dogs are trained to find lost people in the wilderness. Each year we work with Animal Humane New Mexico to put on demonstrations for kids participating in their Camp Humane program. We greatly enjoy these opportunities to interact with the public and demonstrate the amazing skills of SAR dogs. Please contact us if you would like SSD to provide education sessions for your organization.
