Hi Joe( a potential Adirondac Golden customer),

My name is Kathryn and I am a member of Massasauga Search & Rescue Team, a wilderness SAR team based in Rochester, New York (www.msartny.org). This is my 10th year in SAR and for the majority of that I have been a K9 handler. My first SAR dog was/is "Kode" (Adirondac Ishkode), a wonderful female out of Ruby X Jimmy, a terrific breeding from Adirondac Goldens. I was SOOOO lucky to have this dog as my first SAR K9! She was everything that folks look for when it comes to SAR K9s: high drive, biddable, bold, agile, enormous energy and great in all situations! By age 22 months this little red rocket was wilderness airscent certified in New York State and certified by NASAR. Within another year she was certified by the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA) in Advanced Cadaver and First Responder Disaster. She turned 8 last November and she re-certified for the third time in Advanced Cadaver and in the next month or two we will re-cert in Wilderness Area/Airscent. I did not continue with the disaster work b/c we are not near enough to any of the FEMA or SUSAR teams to train on a regular basis, but she was great in this venue b/c of her small size (53-55 lbs) and agility. I have had many dogs in my life and I am sure that the bond that I have with Kode will be the most special I experience in my lifetime.

The pup that I got recently from Carol, Adirondac Black Hawk ("Hawk") out of Laker X Cooper, will be my next SAR dog when Kode retires (or they may overlap). He is 17 months old and boy has he taken me for a ride! He is a big boy (about 75 lbs now) and is solid muscle, long-legged and has a beautiful block head. His coat is deep gold and course with short feathers and neat feet, perfect for the field. His neurons in his brain started firing around 15 months and so now my training with him has intensified. His prey drive and possession drive are over the top!

Hawk
(Laker X Cooper)

He is also extremely social, loves people and has no animal aggression at all (except for catching squirrels and chippers that he has demonstrated he can swallow whole!). He has an endearing personality and is even a bit of a "momma's boy." He could be trained in any of the odor detection dog disciplines and excel. He has a fantastic nose and drive and persistence to use that nose for search. Managing his energy for the past year has been a challenge, but worth the time and resources. This is the type of dog who needs a job and cannot really be maintained in a pet household.  I work with a LE K9 handler/master trainer who says she has seen good working goldens (that meet the needs of SAR) from only two breeding programs in the U.S. and Adirondac Goldens is one of them. Also, look at the search team website and also the IPWDA website for more.

Kathryn