MESARD (Maine Search And Rescue Dogs)

06/02/2026

MESARD's mission is to help locate the lost. This is the life of the selfless and humble. Talk to a dog handler and it's all about the dog. Dig a little deeper and you'll hear the love and respect they have for their K9 partner. From puppyhood to retirement, it's a remarkable bond that's never forgotten. We crossed streams, climb mountains, shiver in the cold and sweat in the heat. We laugh, cry and hug each other if needed.
This weekend we honored our own. K9, Zena who's retiring and Spirit and Sardee who have passed. Keep searching because the mission never ends.

05/12/2026

MESARD is saddened by the of loss of Pilot Joshua Tibbetts. Before becoming a pilot for Warden Service, he was a familiar face for the SAR community. At searches, he was a computer mapping specialist. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and his MIF&W family 💔

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is heartbroken to share that Game Warden Pilot Joshua Tibbetts died this morning in a plane crash in Avon, ME.

Game Warden Pilot Tibbetts served the people of Maine as a Maine Game Warden for 18 years, including the last three years as a pilot for Maine Warden Service. In that role, his specialized aviation work supported search and rescue, law enforcement, fisheries and wildlife conservation, and public safety across the state.

This is an incredibly difficult loss for his family, friends, colleagues, and the entire Maine Warden Service. We ask the public to keep his loved ones, his fellow Game Wardens, and all those affected by this tragedy in their thoughts in the days ahead.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. The Department will cooperate fully with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

We are grateful for the emergency personnel who responded to the scene and for the support already being shown to the Maine Warden Service family.

05/09/2026

Team Kenny G!

Thank you for all the agencies that brought Mr. Beckwith home.

04/26/2026

Woods & Waters addition. Teams took advantage of ice out and no black flies.
Spring in Maine, two weeks above 32 degrees and below 80.

04/14/2026

Fun and games at Camp Newfound. The training focus was distractions and the unusual. What's more unusual than finding a stinky Grinch in the woods. We also did recalls through the best toys/food and barking toy dog ever made. In the afternoon the dogs searched for a subject out on a little spit of land in the middle of the lake. Because the air temp was 50, Kenny thought it was a good idea to follow scent by going swimming in 36 degree water. Only Kenny!

03/31/2026

Calling all Bangor Hannaford shoppers 📣 and this is no April Fools joke 🤡
MESARD has been chosen for the month of April to be the recipient of their Bloomin' 4 Good Program.
With each Giving Bag purchased in the month of April from the Broadway Hannaford. MESARD with recieve $1. Buy them for your friends, family and why not your neighbors? The dogs thank you ❤️

03/28/2026

SAVE THE DATE!!
Maine Search and Rescue Dogs
Is Hosting a Training Seminar
(With IPWDA Testing Offered)
2026 Sept 17 (Wilderness only), 18, 19, 20
Topsham Fairgrounds.

03/22/2026

MESARD wish to express our sympathies to Rebecca Dorr's family and friends.

Please see the attached update regarding the search for Rebecca Dorr from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Thank you to the Maine Warden’s Service, MESARD (Maine Search And Rescue Dogs), Maine Association for Search And Rescue (MASAR), and to our department personnel for all of your hard work and dedication to this investigation.

03/09/2026

New odors, new distractions. MESARD'S fun day on the farm.

03/05/2026

It might have felt like Spring yesterday but look at all that snow. Southern Maine teams, Jaydn, Zena and Beck make the most of it.