Heartland K9 Search Teams

09/03/2026

Dear First Responder-
Yes you. The one who is exhausted. The one who still sees the mental images from the car wreck. The one who gets reminded of the tough call with one simple smell. The one whose heart starts to beat a little faster at the sound of a mothers scream. The who has been fighting to stay strong fighting an invisible battle.

Stay.

Stay for one more day.

Stay because what you’re feeling right now isn’t the entirety of your story.

You don’t have to figure the rest of your life out today.

You don’t have to have the answers.

You don’t even have to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

You don’t have to be okay.

Just stay.

If you’re struggling today, tell someone. A friend. A coworker. A therapist. Us. Just tell someone.

First responders spend their careers running toward others on their worst day.

Let someone run toward you.

You don’t have to carry it alone.

Let someone jump into the pit with you and turn the flash light on.

Stay here with us. I’ve got head lamps and snacks.

09/02/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Team B2 — Jarika & Bud 🌟

Check out Team B2 putting that nose to work today, Sunday, August 30th, 2026, in Downtown Plymouth, Indiana! 🐾🌧️

Today's training gave Jarika & Bud another opportunity to tackle an environment very different from the parks, fields, and wooded areas they've worked in before. Downtown Plymouth in the rain brought wet pavement, sidewalks, intersections, vehicle traffic, pedestrians, businesses, and layers of human odor for Bud to sort through.

And Bud came ready to work!

As Team B2 continues progressing, we're not just looking for successful finds—we're building experience. Every new environment gives Bud another odor problem to solve and gives Jarika another opportunity to read her K9, manage the long line, and trust that nose.

That's why we don't always train where it's comfortable or predictable.

Real-world searches can take our teams anywhere, and the weather doesn't always cooperate. Training in conditions like today's helps expose our teams to those challenges before they're ever asked to face them when it matters.

👏 Great work, Team B2! Jarika & Bud continue to put in the time, accept new challenges, and build on every training experience.

And a special thank you to our volunteer decoys for being willing to get wet and help make today's training possible. Every trail you lay helps our K9s and handlers become better.

Different environments. Different challenges. Better teams.

Send a message to learn more

09/01/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Team Lucy-Lu — Chalisa & Lucy-Lu 🌟

Check out Team Lucy-Lu taking on another challenge today, Sunday, August 30th, 2026, in Downtown Plymouth, Indiana! 🐾🌧️

Lucy-Lu has worked plenty of trails throughout her training, but today's environment brought a completely different set of challenges. Downtown Plymouth in the rain meant wet pavement, sidewalks, intersections, vehicle traffic, pedestrians, businesses, and countless layers of human odor.

And Lucy-Lu put that nose to work!

Training an experienced team isn't about making things easy—it's about continuing to introduce new environments and challenges that require both the K9 and handler to adapt. Chalisa continues to gain experience reading Lucy, trusting what she's communicating through the long line, and allowing her K9 to work through the odor problem.

Every trail gives this team another opportunity to learn and maintain the skills they've worked so hard to develop.

👏 Great work, Team Lucy-Lu! Chalisa & Lucy continue to show what consistent training and a strong handler-K9 partnership can accomplish.

And a special thank you to our volunteer decoys for being willing to stand out in the rain and give our teams another realistic training opportunity. We couldn't do this without you!

Different environments. Different challenges. Better teams.

Send a message to learn more

08/31/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Team Oogy — Alex & Blue 🌟

Check out Team Oogy putting in the work today, Sunday, August 30th, 2026, in Downtown Plymouth, Indiana! 🐾🌧️

Today's trail gave Alex & Blue a completely different odor picture to work through. Downtown environments bring sidewalks, pavement, intersections, vehicle traffic, pedestrians, businesses, and layers upon layers of human odor—and today we added rain to the challenge.

That's what training is about.

Every trail doesn't need to be perfect. Every trail needs to teach us something. Training in different locations and conditions builds experience that simply can't be recreated by running the same type of scenario over and over.

🌲 Woods are different from fields.
🏞️ Parks are different from neighborhoods.
🏙️ And downtown Plymouth in the rain presents an entirely different challenge.

👏 Great work, Team Oogy! Alex & Blue continue to put in the time, take on new challenges, and grow together as a K9 Search Team.

And a special thank you to today's volunteer decoys for being willing to get a little wet so our teams could train! Every trail you lay gives our K9s and handlers another opportunity to become better.

Different environments. Different challenges. Better teams.

Send a message to learn more

08/30/2026

🌧️🐾 Rain or Shine — We Train! 🐾🌧️

Today, Sunday, August 30th, Heartland K9 Search Teams took training to the streets of downtown Plymouth, Indiana—and Mother Nature decided to add another challenge: RAIN!

And that's exactly why we train.

Real-world searches don't wait for clear skies or perfect conditions. Downtown environments bring pavement, sidewalks, intersections, businesses, vehicle traffic, pedestrians, and countless competing odors. Add wet conditions to the equation, and our handlers and K9s get another valuable opportunity to learn how odor behaves in a completely different environment.

Days like today aren't simply about whether the K9 finds the decoy. They're about problem solving, reading the dog, trusting the nose, and gaining experience.

Every environment teaches us something.

🌲 We train in the woods.
🌽 We train around fields.
🏘️ We train in neighborhoods.
🏙️ We train downtown.
🌧️ And when it rains—we train in the rain.

Because the person who needs to be found someday isn't going to choose the weather or the location.

👏 Great work to all of our teams who came out and put in the work today!

And a special THANK YOU to our volunteer decoys who were willing to go out and get a little wet so our teams could have another realistic day of training. We couldn't do this without you!

Train in different places. Train in different conditions. Build better teams.

08/27/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Team Lucy-Lu 🌟

Check out Chalisa & Lucy-Lu putting in the work during training Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, in Tyner, Indiana! 🐾

Team Lucy-Lu continues to demonstrate the importance of consistent training and challenging experienced K9 teams in different environments. Every new location brings a different odor picture, changing terrain, distractions, and another opportunity to keep those trailing skills sharp.

Anyone who has watched Lucy work knows she has an amazing nose, and Sunday was another opportunity to put it to work. Chalisa continues to trust Lucy, read the changes in her behavior, and allow her to work through the challenges presented by the trail.

The video says it best—Lucy-Lu came ready to find somebody!

Even experienced teams need consistent training. Every trail provides another opportunity to maintain proficiency, strengthen the partnership between handler and K9, and prepare for the unpredictable conditions of a real-world search.

👏 Great work, Team Lucy-Lu! Keep trusting that nose and putting in the work.

And as always, a heartfelt thank you to our volunteer decoys. Every person willing to hide gives our teams another opportunity to train and maintain the skills necessary to be ready when someone needs to be found.

08/26/2026

It's National Dog Day! Lets see and celebrate your amazing dogs!

Send a message to learn more

08/26/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Team B2 🌟

Check out Jarika & Bud putting in the work during training Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, in Tyner, Indiana! 🐾

Team B2 continues to demonstrate the value of consistent training and getting our K9s into different environments. Every location presents a new odor picture, different distractions, changing terrain, and another opportunity for the team to learn.

Bud continues to show the drive and determination we've come to expect from him, putting that nose to work while Jarika continues sharpening her ability to read Bud, manage the long line, and trust him to work through the problem.

The video says it best—Bud came to work!

Every trail isn't just about finding the decoy. It's another opportunity to strengthen the partnership between K9 and handler and maintain the skills needed for real-world searches.

👏 Great work, Team B2! Keep putting in the work, learning from every trail, and trusting that nose!

And as always, a heartfelt thank you to our volunteer decoys. Every person willing to hide gives our teams another opportunity to train and improve. We couldn't build and maintain capable K9 Search Teams without you.

Send a message to learn more

08/25/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Team Oogy 🌟

Check out Alex & Blue putting in the work during training Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, in Tyner, Indiana! 🐾

Team Oogy continues to make great progress as they build on the foundation developed.. Every new environment brings different odor conditions, distractions, terrain, and challenges—and that's exactly why we train in as many different locations as possible.

Blue continues to show confidence and determination working odor, while Alex is gaining valuable experience reading his K9, managing the trail, and trusting Blue to solve the problem.

The video says it best—this team is putting in the work.

Every trail adds another layer of experience and helps prepare our teams for the unpredictable conditions they may encounter during a real-world search.

👏 Great work, Team Oogy! Keep building, keep learning, and keep trusting that nose!

And as always, a heartfelt thank you to our volunteer decoys. Every person willing to go hide gives our K9s another opportunity to learn and our handlers another opportunity to become better. We couldn't build capable K9 Search Teams without you.

08/24/2026

🌟 Team Spotlight: Cori & Midnight 🌟

Check out Cori & Midnight putting in the work during training today, Sunday, August 23rd, 2026, in Tyner, Indiana! 🐾

As this team continues through Advanced Trailing, we're seeing the foundation built during the Basic Course develop into more confident and capable trailing. Midnight continues to show determination on odor, while Cori is gaining experience reading her K9, trusting what Midnight is telling her, and working together as a team.

The video says a lot—this is what progress looks like.

Every new location, trail, and challenge gives this team another opportunity to improve and prepares them for the unpredictable conditions that come with real-world searches.

👏 Great work, Cori & Midnight! Keep putting in the time and trusting the process. We're proud of the progress you're making and excited to see where this team goes next.

And as always, a heartfelt thank you to our volunteer decoys. Every person willing to go hide gives our K9s another opportunity to learn. We couldn't build capable K9 Search Teams without you.