Navajo County Search and Rescue

09/06/2026

🚨 PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT — APACHE COUNTY, ARIZONA 🚨

***Update male Is in custody and the children are safe****

The Apache County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Matthew Garcia, 46-year-old male.

Garcia was last seen in the Big Lake area, where he fled from law enforcement while accompanied by two small children.

Description:

- Matthew Garcia: 46-year-old male, last seen wearing a flannel shirt and shorts.
- Children: Two small children, last seen wearing T-shirts and shorts, no shoes.

If you see Matthew Garcia or the children, do not approach or attempt to intervene. Please contact the Apache County Sheriff’s Office at 928-337-4321, Option 6, or call 911 if immediate assistance is needed.

The Apache County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the public’s assistance in helping us safely locate Matthew and the two children.

09/03/2026

Yesterday the NCSAR K9 team trained at teammate Kathy's place. Vehicle, building, and area searching was the theme. Great training and great lessons always!

09/02/2026

A big thank you to WM for their generous donation to our team!! The funds will be used for needed equipment and training for our volunteers. Without your help, we would have limited funding to better our team and be ready for when Navajo County Sheriff's Office calls us out on missions. We're so grateful!

08/28/2026

This past Wednesday, the NCSAR K9 team held their training at our team mate and former Captain, Laurie and Vince's (our former SAR Coordinator) house. We set up two buried problems with multiple distractions in 2.75 acres, a 1.5 acre negative area with a pond, a challenging elevated problem in a wash, an exterior building problem (2), and an outside equipment problem. Great challenges and lessons! Nice dedication to searching. Puppy Smaug had a mental workout on the buried. So many natural animal holes as well as distraction holes. That in itself was a good training!
Big thank you to Vince and Laurie for allowing us to train at their property!

08/26/2026

We sure love our doggies!! Great job to all of the furry Navajo County Search and Rescue members!!

Today we celebrate the dogs who do far more than brighten our lives — they save them!

Across the Search and Rescue community, K9 teams train tirelessly to locate the lost, support disaster response, bring families answers, and stand ready when every minute matters. Their drive, intelligence, and unwavering loyalty make them extraordinary partners in the field.

To every SAR dog, and every handler who puts in the hours beside them, thank you for your dedication, your heart, and your life‑saving work.

Happy National Dog Day! 🐕‍🦺❤️

08/24/2026

This morning, the NCSAR K9 team trained off Pinedale Road, searching for a male subject. 35 - 50 acres across a large wash and steep hills. Temps started from 68 - 90 degrees, low winds, humid, and damp from previous rains. Great lessons watchiing the K9s work odor in the sun and shade, air flow from the wash area giving voids and puffs of odor. Great training! We then turned to HRD and worked on buried. Puppy Smaug and K9 Apollo are progressing well and now working on duration at source. The monsoons have brought carpets of flowers and grass. Beautiful area to train in!

08/23/2026

All of us with Navajo County Search and Rescue want to give our retired teammate Mark Hullinger some applause. 👏 Last night he was inducted into the Arizona Wildlife for Tomorrow Hall of Fame. Congrats Mark for this honorable award, you deserve it friend!!

08/20/2026

Today the NCSAR K9 Team invited Willow Raven, of Avoid Rattlers.com, to come and do Rattlesnake Avoidance Training for our K9s. Willow did an awesome job explaining to each Handler what she would be doing and what she wanted us Handlers to do or not do. This year the Rattlers have been out more, and it is important to train our SAR K9s to avoid these Rattlers when they are searching out in the wilderness. Willow used both the Black Rattler and the Diamondback Rattler for the training today as both these Rattlers are found up here in our White Mountains.

A huge thank you to Willow for traveling up our way and doing snake aversion training for our NCSAR K9s!

08/17/2026

This morning, the NCSAR K9 team trained in Snowflake, off Pinedale road searching for a subject with her barking dog. Nice challenges with very low wind speed and sun and shade. The Live Find Dogs did good. We then worked Puppy Smaug on a few aids, solidifying her natural sit at source. She is coming along!