Say “Hello” to Skylar, Arc Aspicio’s Eighth Search Dog
Say “Hello” to Skylar, Arc Aspicio’s Eighth Search Dog
Arlington, VA, March 27, 2018 — Introducing Skylar! Arc Aspicio sponsored their eighth search dog with funds raised during their annual event for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) held this past December.
SDF is a non-profit organization that trains rescue dogs to respond to terrorist attacks and national disasters and pairs them with first responders. The organization relies on donations to train the dogs and provide them with the necessary medical care. Arc Aspicio partnered with SDF in 2011 when they sponsored their first search dog team. SDF and Arc Aspicio share a similar mission and love of dogs that has fostered a long partnership.
“We are thrilled to welcome Skylar as our eighth dog,” says CEO Lynn Ann Casey. “Watching Skylar progress through her training until graduation will be fun for our team and for those who support the SDF with us each year. We can’t wait to see what incredible things she does with her career.”
Animal Care and Control picked up Skylar, a Malinois mix, in Oregon this past December. Her endless energy and profound love of toys revealed her search dog potential to SDF Recruiter Kirsten Fulk, who picked her up from the shelter. Skylar officially entered the SDF program on March 1 and will train at SDF’s facility in Santa Paula, CA for the next eight to ten months.
Skylar is a newbie, but she’s learning fast! Right now, she’s a Search Dog in Training, learning how to save lives when disaster strikes. After she graduates from the program, SDF will pair her with a handler to work on earning her FEMA Advanced Certification. Once she receives her certification, she’ll be ready to spring into action. Her important work will save lives threatened by disasters both nationally and internationally, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, mudslides, and terrorist attacks.
Before SDF initiated its program, FEMA’s certification process took more than two years and had a success rate of only 15%. Since its founding, SDF has significantly raised that success rate to 85% and decreased time to certification to about a year. Arc Aspicio is proud to support SDF in their mission to strengthen disaster response and save lives.
You can read about all our dogs on our Dogs Rule webpage. And you can follow updates on Skylar's progress through SDF’s program at our Arc Aspicio Facebook page.
Meet our Search Dog Teams: