Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association

Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association Founded in 1977, the Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association (VSRDA) is the Southeast's oldest air scenting wilderness search dog unit.

VSRDA is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no charge to the requesting agency. Information about our dogs and related activities will be posted here.

Testing, like searching, does not wait for convenient weather! Congratulations Aaron and K9 Raine for knocking out their...
06/13/2026

Testing, like searching, does not wait for convenient weather! Congratulations Aaron and K9 Raine for knocking out their Light Brush Assessment in yesterday's brutally high heat and humidity.

Huge congratulations to two of our VSRDA members - Operational Handler Tate and their dog Memphis Belle, and Handler in ...
06/04/2026

Huge congratulations to two of our VSRDA members - Operational Handler Tate and their dog Memphis Belle, and Handler in Training Aaron and his dog Raine, who just earned their Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP).

These two dedicated nearly 9 months to completing a course that includes:
Written assessments testing knowledge of learning theory and behavioral science
Teaching and training assessments, to include teaching another person how to develop a behavior, and training other species of animals
And the ultimate challenge — the 10-part behavior chain: train 10 independent behaviors under complete stimulus control and demonstrate them in ANY order, using only a single terminal reinforcer at the end!

Nearly nine months of hard work and studying, all because they believe that truly understanding how dogs learn makes them better partners, in training and on the search.

Tate, Memphis Belle, Aaron, and Raine, VSRDA is so proud to have you on our team!

Congrats Aaron and K9 Raine for completing their ARDA Trail Assessment and taking home some valuable lessons about reinf...
06/03/2026

Congrats Aaron and K9 Raine for completing their ARDA Trail Assessment and taking home some valuable lessons about reinforcement today!

Congratulations to Aaron and K9 Raine for passing their Open Field Assessment today! K9 Raine would like to know the sto...
05/13/2026

Congratulations to Aaron and K9 Raine for passing their Open Field Assessment today! K9 Raine would like to know the story behind the oversized dog that showed up.

Congratulations to Scott and K9 Echo (Whiskey) for completing their Dense Brush Assessment this past friday. Few people ...
05/13/2026

Congratulations to Scott and K9 Echo (Whiskey) for completing their Dense Brush Assessment this past friday. Few people have brought a portable office to their debriefs, but we think we might give it a try! Now for operational state testing!

Congratulations to JJ and K9 Echo (Mike) for breezing through their 40 Acre recertification last month!
05/11/2026

Congratulations to JJ and K9 Echo (Mike) for breezing through their 40 Acre recertification last month!

We are pleased to welcome Isa and K9 Josie into the ranks of operational, field deployable K9 team! We were also pleasan...
05/08/2026

We are pleased to welcome Isa and K9 Josie into the ranks of operational, field deployable K9 team! We were also pleasantly surprised to learn that additional congratulations are in order. The team is wishing you all the best as you embark on two exciting new chapters 👣🥳

The Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association is available 27/7 365 days a year to search for missing individuals regar...
04/01/2026

The Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association is available 27/7 365 days a year to search for missing individuals regardless of culture, class, or creed. Often, we are tasked to search for people with limited information available, such as having low quality or no photos of the subject. Today on April 1st, 2026, we have been tasked with locating a 47 YOM who goes by Benny Foot - 7'7", brown hair, brown eyes, and may have left barefoot. Mr. Foot was last seen this morning around 5 am and was reported missing by some friends that came to visit him at his remote residence. Please contact us with any information that might aid in his safe return.

Congratulations to JJ & K9 Echo Mike, Scott & K9 Echo Whiskey, and Jen & K9 Timber for breezing through their Behavior, ...
03/29/2026

Congratulations to JJ & K9 Echo Mike, Scott & K9 Echo Whiskey, and Jen & K9 Timber for breezing through their Behavior, Agility, and Obedience (BOA) Eval today!

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Bristow, VA

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