Page 73 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2016

ABOVE: Gulf Coast Search and Rescue Team train dogs to assist law enforcement, re rescue and more. Sgt. Spring Winters and German Shepherd Rico (left), Carlos Redmon and Bloodhound Hoover (middle) and Sherrie Kinton and Golden Retriever Breezee are trained to help locate people in need.
invitations to HSSM and community events.
“We’re honored to feature Trout as the face of HSSM
for 2016,” said Maren Slay, HSSM marketing specialist.
“We could not have picked a truer representation of our mission. Ron and Laura are shining examples of responsible pet ownership, as well as advocates of pet rescue and pet adoption.”
Mascot candidates do not have to have been adopted from HSSM to be eligible, but they must be spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, and tagged. For more information about becoming HSSM’s 2017 mascot, visit www.hssm.org/ mascot.
On a more somber note, Gulf Coast Search and Rescue Team is an all-volunteer organization that trains dogs to assist law enforcement, fire rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard and any other agencies needing their help. That help may include rescuing drowning victims or finding lost children and Alzheimer’s patients who wander away from their homes and sometimes locating cadavers.
“We strictly respond to requests,” said Carlos Redmon, Sr.,
a retired paramedic who serves as the team’s coordinator. “Right now we have 20 dogs at different levels of training.”
He says the amount of training time required varies according to the age of the dog and how much effort has been put into making the dog be obedient. “The average time is approximately one year. We prefer to start with puppies so they bond with human handlers and their whole lives are spent in search and rescue,” he added.
The sporting and herding breeds of dogs work best for search and rescue because they’re working dogs. “German and Dutch shepherds, blood hounds, Springer spaniels, English setters and retrievers of any kind make great search and rescue dogs,” Redmon said.
Humane Society of South Mississippi
228.822.3803 • www.hssm.org
Gulf Coast Search and Rescue Team
228.323.4743 • www.gcsardogteam.org
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