Pattenburg K9 Unit

07/04/2024

05/15/2022

Bethlehem Twp Volunteer Day

02/13/2022

We are proud to be working with the world renowned Trainer we started with from the beginning . With out such solid foundations , we would not be were we stand today . Thank you to Andres Aportela , for providing elite services to all our Officers and Handlers .

01/29/2022

SCHUTZHUND AWARDS ! FOR our officers

01/20/2022

The mission of Pattenburg K9 Unit

is to provide and promote search and rescue dogs and handlers as a local resource
to the Public, local law enforcement and the community to assist in the event of an emergency, and to advocate public safety. Dog teams are trained in the following disciplines and are on call 24/7 to help those in need

Search Disciplines:

Trailing
Area Search
Land Cadaver
Water and Avalanche
Our teams can help locate:

Missing persons in wilderness and urban settings
Alzheimer patient who has wandered away
A missing child
An overdue hiker
Drowining victims
Victims of fire or natural disasters
Victims of an avalanche
Location of deceased victims in urban and wilderness environments
Missing canine pets and service canines

The Pattenburg K-9 Unit Team Objectives are to

Develop and train professional canine handlers trained in multiple search disciplines.
Develop Dog Teams who meet and exceed local and national certification standards
Develop and present training programs in specialty search areas
Train all handlers in search procedures

01/19/2022

We at the Pattenburg K9 Unit (Search, Rescue)501(c) non profit , want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support . We are forever thankful to our supporters, without you, we could not serve our local communities.
With the loss of our beloved K9 Officer - Nash this past December , the love, comfort and prayers from so many supporters carried us all through the darkest of days.
Although our hearts are still hurting , we know we must push forward with the process of training our Next SAR Officer. This process can take up to about three years .
Working with Kubaner Haus German Shepherds, we are a few short weeks away from welcoming our newest K9 Officer , Delta .
At the Pattenburg K9 Unit , we appreciate the donations we received from each of our supporters. Our goal as we have recently , become an independent , private , 501c company is twenty thousand dollars. This will help with the purchase of a new K-9 unit response vehicle , training and outfitting of safety gear for both handlers and K9 Officer. We are introducing our sponsorship program to help cover the cost of these things . A corporate sponsorship starts with at a 1000.00 donation . In return , your company name and logo will go on our trucks , and yearly hoodies. Your company will be invited to be involved with three training sessions. For a 1500.00 donation we add a visit to your business or event at or for, your business will be planned . Also a special thank you plaque will be presented to your company at our new officers swearing in ceremony .
We would love to sign your company up as one of our first sponsors . When would be a great time to speak to you in more detail about our sponsorship program ?
Thank you for your Time and Consideration,

Chief Dan Vanfossen
908 930 2558

01/19/2022

A Brief History of Pattenburg K9 Unit

The Pattenburg K9 unit was started in 2009 due to a rescue call we had in 2007.
Our all volunteer company had a call to find a missing Alzheimer’s patient. We remember that day well. It was 20° out and getting dark , Members of 25 fire manually search for two hours before the patient was found. Unfortunately the patient died a few weeks later due to exposure and we quickly stepped into action. We realize that the canine unit could have found our patient in 10 minutes the saving a life.
Chief Dan Vanfossen and his stepfather Bill Hardenburg decided ,to better help our community , to start forming our K9 unit. They both began training to become canine officer handler’s , putting in over $50,000 of their own money to cover costs . Many countless hours of training and preparation to purchase two world class search and rescue officers commenced. Every possible training equipment safety equipment and even the K9 unit vehicle was purchased out of pocket by these two. To keep the canine unit going we’re fully supported from donations of our community ,friends and family. Canine officers Bandy and Timmy were awarded several times from the communities we serve for their quick and efficient work in finding missing persons and beloved pets through the years. They have passed away and their memories kept alive with our newest canine officer, K9 officer Nash. K9 officer Nash was purchased after a fundraiser at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse after the passing of canine officer Timmy . K9 officer Nash is cross trained in fire search and rescue and police training. Nash is very involved in our community daily life. He visits our schools , takes walks ,and visits with the sick in our community . He even enjoys visiting the local car shows on route 31 !
This year Nash was diagnosed with a large brain tumor on his pituitary gland. It was an all hands on deck effort to begin his radiation treatments immediately.
We lost K9 Officer Nash due to complications from a tumor on December 22 , 2021.

01/19/2022

We at the Pattenburg K9 Unit (Search, Rescue ) want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support . We are forever thankful to our supporters, without you, we could not serve our local communities.
With the loss of our beloved K9 Officer - Nash this past December , the love, comfort and prayers from so many supporters carried us all through the darkest of days.
Although our hearts are still hurting , we know we must push forward with the process of training our Next SAR Officer. This process can take up to about three years .
Working with Kubaner Haus German Shepherds, we are a few short weeks away from welcoming our newest K9 Officer , Delta .
At the Pattenburg K9 Unit , we appreciate the donations we received from each of our supporters. Our goal as we have recently , become an independent , private , 501c company is twenty thousand dollars. This will help with the purchase of a new K-9 unit response vehicle , training and outfitting of safety gear for both handlers and K9 Officer We are introducing our sponsorship program to help cover the cost of these things . A corporate sponsorship starts with at a 1000.00 donation . In return , your company name and logo will go on our trucks , and yearly hoodies. Your company will be invited to be involved with three training sessions. For a 1500.00 donation we add a visit to your business or event at or for, your business will be planned . Also a special thank you plaque will be presented to your company at our new officers swearing in ceremony .
We would love to sign your company up as one of our first sponsors . When would be a great time to speak to you in more detail about our sponsorship program ?