Konnie Hein

I know there aren't a lot of SAR people on this forum, but I want to know what y'all think of the lack of physical agility requirements for handlers on a canine SAR team. I saw a local wilderness team recently give a talk (they said they couldn't do a demo because there was "too much human scent floating around and it would confuse their dogs") at an ag fair and was surprised by the physical condition of 2 of their handlers. One was significantly overweight and the other was elderly and frail looking - I would guess in her 70s.

My USAR team requires that we pass a physical agility test to be on the team. Granted, its not extremely difficult, but the two folks I mentioned above would have a tough time passing it. I know our state police dept has a pretty tough physical agility requirement for their new handlers, and I imagine most departments have these.

What do your SAR teams or PDs require?

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