International K9 Search and Rescue Services. A professional business that provides trained K9 teams to search in all aspects of K9 SAR. USAR, rural, wilderness, desert, jungles, water, mountains.
The owner and SAR Coordinator of IK9SARS has 51 years of experience in all aspects of SAR. Mountain Rescue, helicopter Rescue, Swift Water SAR, Urban SAR, Wilderness, Rural SAR.
"It's been 51 long years of learning.
I went from an all volunteer SAR member, instructor, coordinator from 1972 to 1997. 25 years with the Sheriff's office, Mountain Rescue, and K9 teams. In 1997, I turned my K9 team into a "Professional contracting team" this meant that I could choose to charge for my services or donate my services as needed.
I responded to over 29 disasters during my career. I donated all of my own time, money, services to help those in need. Northridge, Philippines, Honduras, Haiti, Japan, China, Turkey, and within the USA on natural and manmade disasters.
One of the many specialties was including pet SAR and pet rescue along with human SAR and rescue services.
Worked a pet ambulance as needed. Transporting injured/sick pets to vet hospitals. Mostly during bad weather (ice/snow) conditions.
From 1986 to today, I've received over 14,796 SAR call requests helping find 4,667 missing persons and lost pets.
I've also assisted in teaching all aspects of SAR, K9 SAR and Scent, scent evidence.
I'm now considered an expert in the court of law regarding SAR, SAR Dogs, Scent, Scent evidence and am on call to assist attorneys, judges, law enforcement as well as private citizens in these aspects.
It's been a very physically challenging job. Strapping on a 45 lbs rescue pack and climbing 6 miles up mountain slopes, glaciers, and steep wilderness terrain, along with working in the other environments (jungles, deserts, wilderness, city, urban, rural) all had its own challenges.
For those I've helped, I am dearly appreciated and loved.
Along the way I've met some fantastic people from all around the world. Made lifetime friends.
There's the SAR dog aspect as well. I've rescued numerous dogs from the dog shelters, pounds, and streets and trained them for all aspects of SAR. I never ever believed in training one dog for just one specific task. I trained each of my SAR dog partners in all aspects of SAR. Live / dead, water, land, avalanche, forensic scent, etc. and each and every one has been successful. (All documented in the courtrooms).
I've most past the jealous dog handlers, "AKA HARRY HATERS". and stuck to my focus. To help those in need. If they couldn't afford my services, then I still helped them and donated my services. I average donating $47,000.00 in services each year for the last 23 years. There have been a lot of fantastic publicity when my dogs and I were successful. But, as anyone in K9 SAR knows, we don't find them all.
Sadly I've seen a lot of ugly jealous folks. People who bad mouthed me for charging for services. Even though they didn't realize I donated many of my SAR Calls when folks couldn't afford them. One such case that several dog handlers put out to the public was a missing climber in Idaho. I received a call from a desperate father whose son was missing for over a week.
The local sheriff, mountain rescue teams and SAR dogs failed to find them in their search efforts. I sent the father of the missing climber my contract for services agreement which spells out what I charge for driving time, fuel, meals, motels, and actual search time and based on all the information, the probability of success in finding the missing person or finding out what happened and where.
The father read my contract, agreed to all its terms and signed the contract. I drove the 14 hours each way and climbed the grand Tetons to search for his son. The father paid for two mountain guides (which I did not request) but he insisted they go with me.
After my search, I did not physically find his son but was able to tell him 100% that his son was dead based on the death alerts I was getting from the swirling wind currents.
The father didn't like what I had to say and bad mouthed me to anyone who would listen, refused to pay my contracted work and I had to threaten him with a law suit. In the end he paid for my contracted work, and followed up on what area my dog had alerted. His son was found dead in the bottom of a steep cliff area where my dog had alerted. So in all, I was 100% correct in my findings.
But all the harry haters would do is pass on a one-sided statement made against me by the grieving father. The harry haters forgot to tell everyone that would listen to them was that I wasn't the only one who was paid. The sheriff was paid, the mountain guides were paid as well as other staff involved in their efforts to search. My documentation in all of this proved I was telling the truth. Just one example of what's wrong with some members of the k9 SAR community these days.
Now I'm hitting retirement age. My body can't climb mountains anymore. I've lost my best friends (dog partners) over the years. The SAR Dogs sadly don't live very long. Kodi, Ranger, Ms. Valorie, Ms. WIllow, Mr. Tyler. and still have my two currently working dogs Ms. Cindy Lou and Mr. Max. That had to be the hardest part of this job was saying good-bye to each one of these partners when they died.
As I'm starting to wind down my SAR responses, I still work consult cases. I still teach all aspects of SAR, K9 SAR, swift water and USAR.
I'm just limited due to old age and knee injuries on what I can search and how far I can travel.
My business has been inspected by the Oregon Dept of Justice, IRS, and many law enforcement agencies and found to be 100% accurate in all I've said and done.
I'll continue to work SAR until I can no longer walk. Until then, I ignore the Harry Haters, reflect on the many successful cases over the last 51 years that I've been a part of. And move forward.
Respectfully
Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr.
K9 SAR Coordinator
International K9 Search and Rescue Services
