Volunteers
In two searches this year, 10-15 archaeology volunteers helped KYK9 at search sites where K9 Pocket had indicated the presence of human remains. To find evidence in these cold cases, we needed trained and educated eyes to sift through the dirt to find bones and other evidence. These searches would not have been successful without these archaeologists. We are blessed to work with such a generous, hard-working, and talented team.
Volunteers Sarah Freeman, Dr. Chris Begley, and Dr. Cheryl Johnston have played an important role in every search this year. Other key volunteers include John Schweikart, Taylor Bryan, Eric Trass, and Julie Boyd. We are deeply appreciative of support from Andrea Crider, Kevin Schwartz, tribal monitor Mark Lennon, and the Miami Tribe. And a big shout out to Connie Marrett who has given so much of herself and her time to help train K9 Wick this year.
And we thank Dr. Nevils and Chenoweth Animal Hospital for their excellent care of K9 Pocket and K9 Wick. Dr. Nevils is an important member of the KYK9 team and graciously makes herself available all hours of the day and night to help keep the dogs safe on searches and call outs, all of which all present unique dangers and risks.
How You Can Help KYK9
Training Wick (and Pocket too). We are looking for volunteers to help K9 Wick with his ongoing training. This includes hiding so he can find you, laying a trail for him to follow, and helping with distraction training so that he can maintain focus while searching.
Donations. In addition to his daily training, K9 Wick needs to attend weeklong training workshops that will help educate him and get him ready to become a nationally certified search dog. In his formative first year, Wick ideally will attend 3-4 workshops, which each cost $1,500 – $3,000. Thanks for any help you would like to give: Wick wants to be as good as his sister Pocket!
Uniforms. We need team uniforms for callouts and searches and for volunteers who are laying trails and hiding from K9 Wick and K9 Pocket. And our professional anthropology volunteers need uniforms for working in the field with law enforcement. This includes hats, shirts, and jackets for 25 -30 people with the KYK9 logo.
