September 2011

Mike Holmberg and Robert Vann successfully challenged their Level 2 exam this month with flying colors. Congratulations!

MARK-9 welcomes Christian Hornbeck to the team.

Summer 2011

August 2011

Congratulations to Team Pete, Team Val, Team Natasha, and Team Gypsy, who certified in Water this month!

MARK-9 dogs and humans instructed more than 150 children this summer with Sit-n-Stay events in Richardson, Plano, and Waxahachie. The children taught us a few things, too!

Spring 2011

Congratulations to Team Natasha, who passed their Wilderness test this spring.

MARK-9 turned 16 this April.

Fall / Winter 2010-2011

What follows a hot, hot summer? A winter that brought the first snow some of our dogs have ever experienced. While the area slowed to a standstill for a week in January, some dogs and handlers explored the nature of scent in snow, and took time off to have fun in it, as well.

Summer 2010

New members Tim and Sophie Collier have gone over the edge (literally) and joined the team, taking part in the rappel exercises and training with the dogs in 100+ temperatures. We think if you like working SAR in heat like this, you really like working SAR.

Feb-May 2010

Heavy snowfall in February and mid-March brought interesting training conditions -- and copperheads out just a week after the second snow! Some long-time locals tell us that early copperheads predict a hot summer, so we'll see if they're right.

MARK-9 welcomes new member Jim Kilroy this spring.

Member Susannah Charleson's nonfiction book Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search and Rescue Dog, was released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in mid-April and placed on the American Publisher's Association / Indie Bound and New York Times Bestseller lists in early May. The book was the #1 nonfiction bestseller in the Dallas area in the same period.

Fall/Winter 2009

We welcome visitors and new members to MARK-9 this autumn, including Terry Rogers.

Congratulations Jerry and Gypsy, who passed their cadaver / recovery certification.

June/July 2009

Safety School is in, and MARK-9 team members and dogs are helping kids learn how to proactively stay safe when lost: 9 Richardson Safety Schools and 3 Plano Vacation Safety School sessions.

June 2009

A busy month for MARK-9!

Congratulations Albert Ramirez and Jessica Krouse, who earned their Level 1 certifications.

This month Boating Magazine and The Dallas Boat Show presents Boat Show and Fun Run benefitting the BMF Project in memory of Brandon Michael Fugate. MARK-9 team members met with the public and received a plaque “In appreciation for the hard work and dedication in bringing our loved ones home.”

Max and Fleta Kirk were honored as Great Americans and interviewed on WBAP/820's Hal Jay show.

April 2009

Happy Birthday MARK-9, 14 years at work this month!

January 2009

This month, Bill and Susie Martinez joined MARK-9 as FAS team members.

December 2008

Sara and Border Collie Pete are Mission Ready! Congratulations!

November 2008

Congratulations to Sara Maryfield and Border Collie partner Pete, who have not only passed their Wilderness Cert test, but also passed Clear Building this month. The team is well on their way to full certification soon!

Welcome to Paul Huebner, who joined MARK-9 as a FAS team member this month.

Feel led to contribute right here, right now? MARK-9 now has PayPal donation capability for those motivated by good search dog noses and wide search dog smiles! See the About Us tab on the compass above, then click 'How to Help' for full information. MARK-9 is a 501(c) charitable organization and donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

October 2008

Congratulations to Jerry Seever and his second partner, Aussie Shepherd Gypsy, who fully certified this month!

September 2008

This month, Disney and Dr. Elba Garcia, Mayor Pro Tem of Dallas, honored the MARK-9 search dogs for 'everyday heroism.'

Members of MARK-9 deployed with Texas Task Force 2 as support and rescue/recovery personnel for Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.

Congratulations Jerry and Gypsy, who have passed both the Wilderness and Clear Building cert tests and are on their way to full certification soon! Great job, J&G!

August 2008

Members of MARK-9 deployed with Texas Task Force 2 as part of the pre-emptive rescue/recovery resource for Hurricane Gustav.

July 2008

Members of MARK-9 deployed with Texas Task Force 2 as part of the rescue/recovery effort for Hurricane Dolly.

Susannah Charleson's article, "At the Edge of Known Things", about the integrated process of flying, writing, and working canine search, appears this month in the new literary magazine Mayborn: Where Stories Come Alive.

June 2008

MARK-9 dogs and handlers celebrated all things safety at this year's Plano Police Department Vacation Safety School.

November 2007

Welcome to Carla Ullrichherring, who joined MARK-9's FAS team this month.

Summer 2007

Welcome to Dee Dee Weeks, who joined MARK-9 FAS team in June -- and to new pup-in-training Gypsy, a beautiful Australian Shepherd who will be Jerry Seevers' next canine partner.

Belgian Malinois Valkyrie and Golden Retriever Puzzle are now Scent Discrimination certified. Congratulations dogs and handlers for work well done!

MARK-9 made presentations and appearances again this summer at the Plano Police Department Vacation Safety School and at the National Night Out Against Crime, Tietze Park, Dallas. MARK-9 team members were also part of the Texas Task Force 2 deployment in response to Hurricane Dean.

May 2007

Congratulations Fleta Kirk and Misty, who passed Water and Scent Discrimination certifications this spring!

April 2007

MARK-9 celebrates its 12th birthday at the same time we celebrate our partnership with Texas Task Force 2, now operational. Happy Birthday Mark-9!

March 2007

Welcome Jessica Krouse, our new FAS team member, who became official in March and is already much-loved by the team dogs, especially adored by one who shall go nameless (but is a blonde Golden Retriever).

February 2007

Congratulations to Shelley Loy and her SAR-dog-in-training, Fozzie, a rescue himself. Just a month after coming to his new home from a shelter, Fozzie aced his therapy dog certification Saturday the 24th with a 100% score on the evaluation.

A high-five to Ellen Sanchez and Susannah Charleson, who completed their Senior certification with MARK-9 in January.

October 2006

Deryl and Birgit Wingate passed their Level 1 certifications on Saturday, October 7th. Congratulations!

September 2006

Congratulations to Matt McPherson and Don Reynolds, who passed their Level 2 certifications this month.

August 2006

Special thanks to WFAA Ch. 8's Debbie Denmon and Tina Foster for their feature profile on MARK-9's activity in the search field and Sit-n-Stay presentations.

May 2006

Thanks goes to the creators of Natural Life Nutritional Pet Products and their recent donation of 1200 pounds of premium dog food to the MARK-9 dogs (who are loving every bite of it!). "Special food for special dogs", the organization commented during a recent promotional event at a Metroplex Wal-Mart. We are grateful for their generosity and support for working dogs.

Congratulations to Susannah Charleson and Puzzle, who passed their wilderness, urban, and disaster certification tests this spring and are mission-ready.

April 2006

Happy Birthday MARK-9 Search and Rescue, 11 years on the move!

Congratulations to Deryl Wingate, Birgit Wingate, Jon Dunfee, Ellen Sanchez, Don Reynolds, and Susannah Charleson for successfully challenging the written and field NASAR SARTECH II April 7-9th. Congratulations also to Melody Boatwright and Jerry Seevers, who earned their SARTECH III on April 7th.

January 2006

Susannah Charleson, Public Information Officer, is now also a SAR research grant recipient. Susannah's upcoming study involves special communication issues in disaster rescue -- information she and MARK-9 intend to share with the international emergency response community. More on this to come!

November 2005

Congratulations to Don Dapkus, who earned his NASAR SARTECH II this month, along with Deryl Wingate, Birgit Wingate, and Rob Kirk, who earned their NASAR SARTECH IIIs this month.

October 2005

Congratulations to Susannah Charleson, who earned her SARTECH III this month.

September 2005

MARK9 has joined the hundreds of other rescue personnel in the Gulf states following Hurricane Katrina. Team members deployed to Louisiana Saturday, September 3rd, as part of the ongoing search and recovery effort there. A grateful thank you to REI and Wal-Mart for their generous supply support for this mission.

August 2005

Congratulations to Fleta Kirk and Misty, Rob Kirk and Valkyrei -- who passed final performance tests and are now mission ready, certified for urban, disaster, and wilderness search. Misty is Fleta's second certified search dog; Valkyrei is Rob Kirk's first.

July 2005

Deryl Wingate, Max Kirk, and Fleta Kirk participated as ICS evaluators for the Oklahoma State Department of Health's Operation Firework Fanfare in Lawton and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

June 2005

An ongoing thank-you to Wal-Mart for their consistent support, by grant, for MARK-9. We are proud to support the community alongside this corporation, which demonstrates a particular concern for child safety.

MARK-9 has two new FAS team members -- Tammy Shelnutt and Sara Maryfield, who have completed the initial probation period and interview as of June 4th, 2005. Both demonstrated their fortitude early on in their experience with MARK-9, willingly hiding for the dogs or assisting as walk-along FAS teamers on a chilly Saturday in wooded terrain, knee-deep (literally) in poison ivy. It's a glory job, but somebody's got to do it! Welcome, Tammy and Sara, whose web pages will appear on the MARK-9 site in December.

May 2005

MARK-9 extends a special thank you to REI for demonstrating compassion and commitment to community service nationwide. On May 5th, REI CEO Sally Jewell and Plano store management presented MARK-9 with a $5000 corporate grant, honoring the team's wilderness work and outdoor safety presentations for children and adults. We are proud of this partnership in adventure and safety. Thank you, REI!

Another thank you goes to anchor/reporter Maria Arita, KTVT CBS-11, for her feature profile on the joint rescue and training efforts of MARK-9 and the Wylie Fire Department Dive Team. The news feature aired Tuesday, May 31st and Wednesday, June 1st.

April 2005

Happy Birthday MARK-9 Search and Rescue, 10 years strong! The team celebrated its decade of commitment with a party combining food, fun, games for human and canine teammates -- and a variety of unique SAR-related training exercises designed to challenge the inquiring mind.

Teresa Kirk and Sue Wooldridge have officially joined MARK-9 as new team members. Look for gallery photos of them in action in coming weeks, and in September 2005, their official pages on the MARK-9 website. Welcome Teresa and Sue!

March 2005

Want to know what to do if you're lost? Ask the students at Good Shepherd Episcopal Elementary School, who now know all about it! On Friday, March 12th, members of MARK-9 presented three Sit & Stay sessions for 130 children. Sit & Stays teach children about safe lost procedure they can do to help themselves and help responders who look for them. The students were enthusiastic, and teachers report positive feedback from all who participated. And of course the dogs are happy — they got an extra round of pets and hugs from the children they helped coach.

January 2005

Operations Officer and dog handler Fleta Kirk traveled with Saber to Tampa, Florida to receive the AKC's ACE award for Search Dog of the Year, 2004. This opportunity allowed dog and handler to meet the other ACE winners awarded in various service categories and to answer questions from the public about the nature of SAR dogs and the services they provide. MARK-9's Hunter, handled by Max Kirk, was a finalist for this 2004 award, as well.

Winter 2004-2005

Forward-thinking Wylie Fire Department Dive Team has formed a training partnership with MARK-9. Jointly we better discover how search dogs and dive teams can complement each other in the the recovery of boating accident and drowning victims. Water-related accidents are the source of frequent warm weather callouts for MARK-9 — indeed, for all emergency responders in North Texas — and we are honored to work with the Wylie FD Dive Team in the development of enhanced water recovery procedures.