We search to rectify the losses of others, a goal so at the center of who we are and what we do that we're sometimes startled by our own vulnerability. Loss happens for us, too.

A search dog's working life is fairly finite, and for every dog who serves, there is a moment when he or she is no longer strong enough for the rigors of the work. The steep inclines, the unstable terrain, the summer searches in 100+ degrees; all take their toll over time. We like to think that jointly handler and canine decide when it's time for a good dog to relax as a much-loved, couch-potato retiree. We have a few of them in our own history. MARK-9 honors our retired seniors who have given the best years of their lives in service to humankind.

Sometimes our losses are more permanent, and our friends and colleagues leave us without warning — without ever enough time for the thank-yous they deserve. We grieve their departure. We miss them still. And we celebrate the courage and spirit that remain.