FVVFD SaR K9 Merle Haggard, 7088 Fort Valley Rd (2026)

04/05/2026

Today, on International Firefighters’ Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women who run toward danger when others are told to run away.

From our paws to your boots — thank you.

We see the long hours, the early mornings, the late nights, and the sacrifices made not just on the fireground, but at home. We see the strength it takes to carry the weight of the job and still show up, call after call, without hesitation.

As K9 partners in search and rescue, we are proud to stand beside you — in the smoke, in the mud, in the uncertainty — trusting your lead, your courage, and your commitment to bringing others home.

Today, we celebrate you.
Your bravery.
Your dedication.
Your unwavering service.

Stay safe out there, and know you are always appreciated — by your teams, your communities, and even those of us working on four legs.

With loyalty and respect,
K9 Merle & K9 Peat 🐾🚒

26/04/2026

Today we celebrate two incredible partners, teammates, and heroes—K9 Merle and K9 Peat—on International Search and Rescue Dog Day.

These dogs represent far more than training and certifications. They embody relentless drive, unwavering loyalty, and the kind of courage that shows up when it matters most. Through long days, difficult terrain, and the uncertainty that comes with every mission, Merle and Peat work with a single purpose: to find, to help, and to serve.

They don’t ask for recognition. They don’t hesitate in the face of challenge. They trust their handler, follow their training, and give everything they have—every single time.

Behind every successful search is a bond built on countless hours of dedication, sacrifice, and teamwork. K9 Merle and K9 Peat are a testament to that bond—and to the life-saving impact these teams make in their communities.

Today, we honor their work, their spirit, and the quiet heroism they bring to every callout.

Happy International Search and Rescue Dog Day to two of the very best. 🐾

To all SAR K9s… Today is your day!

We do this
“So Others May Live”

17/04/2026

Even while home on leave, Firefighter Cubbage continues to push forward—making time for advanced training and professional development.

Most recently, she completed Tactical Canine Casualty Care, instructed by Dr. Janice Baker and the Veterinary Tactical Group (VTG). This course goes far beyond classroom learning, diving deep into the real-world medical challenges faced by working K9 teams in the field. Training included hours of intensive hands-on practical application, focusing on critical lifesaving interventions for canines in high-risk environments.

From hemorrhage control and airway management to treating trauma injuries under stress, the course emphasized not only technical skills but also the ability to perform under pressure. Scenario-based exercises challenged handlers to think critically, operate in dynamic environments, and provide immediate care to their K9 partners when every second counts. Hands-on dog skills ensured that techniques were not only understood—but executed with confidence and precision.

This level of training directly strengthens the capabilities of K9 Merle and K9 Peat in their search and rescue missions. Whether operating in wilderness environments or disaster scenarios, having advanced medical knowledge ensures these teams are better prepared to protect, preserve, and prolong the lives of their canine partners while continuing the mission.

Because at the end of the day, it’s always about more than training—it’s about readiness, resilience, and commitment.

We do this…
“So Others May Live”

Special thanks to Veterinary Tactical Group, the Virginia Search and Rescue Conference, and Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association (team away from home) for their continued support and dedication to advancing K9 search and rescue teams.

05/04/2026

Happy Easter🐣🐇

30/03/2026

Changing gears from the classroom back to the field—where these K9s truly shine.

We’re proud to announce that K9 Merle Haggard has earned certification in Scent Discriminating Trailing, and K9 Peat Moss has earned certification in Wilderness Area Live Find through NASAR (National Association for Search and Rescue).

These certifications represent far more than a single test—they reflect countless hours of training, problem-solving, and building reliable, mission-ready teams. Each discipline serves a critical role: trailing K9s follow a specific individual’s scent to help locate missing persons, while live find K9s work off-leash to locate any human presence in wilderness environments.

Maintaining recognized standards and third-party certifications like those through NASAR ensures that our teams remain accountable, capable, and ready to integrate with other responding agencies. In real-world missions, reliability matters—because the communities we serve are depending on resources they can trust.

Certification is not the finish line—it’s a benchmark. Continued training, ongoing education, and regular evaluation are what keep these K9 teams sharp, adaptable, and effective in the ever-changing environments we operate in.

We’re proud of these teams and their commitment to excellence—and even more proud to stand ready to serve when it matters most.

We do this:
“So Others May Live”

28/03/2026

As we head into certification weekend, we’d appreciate all the positive thoughts for our team! 🐾

Firefighter Cubbage will be completing a full K9 handler evaluation, including skills assessment, handler knowledge, scent theory, K9 first aid, and search theory.

K9 Merle Haggard will be testing in Scent Discriminating Trailing, and K9 Peat Moss will be testing in Wilderness Live Find.

Certifications are an important part of ensuring our teams meet the standards required to serve our community effectively and reliably—and they represent a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

We’re proud of these teams and the effort they’ve put in to get here. Fingers crossed for a strong and successful weekend!

19/03/2026

There’s been a little lull in K9 training the past few days—but for good reason!

Firefighter Cubbage has successfully completed ICS 300: Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents, hosted by the Cascade County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office and coordinated by Cascade County Disaster & Emergency Services.

This course goes beyond the basics, focusing on managing expanding and complex incidents, working within unified command, and coordinating multiple agencies under one operational structure. For Search and Rescue, that directly translates to stronger interoperability in the field.

Whether operating alongside law enforcement, fire resources, emergency management, or mutual aid partners, having a solid understanding of ICS ensures K9 teams can integrate seamlessly into large-scale operations. Clear communication, defined roles, and standardized processes mean faster deployment, safer operations, and more effective search outcomes.

Our K9s may be the ones doing the searching—but it takes trained handlers to ensure they’re used at the right time, in the right place, and within the bigger operational picture.

Always learning. Always improving. Always ready.

12/03/2026

🐾 Handler Brag Post Incoming 🐾

While K9 Merle Haggard and K9 Peat Moss were busy handling the important Search & Rescue duties (sniffing things, supervising snack breaks, and conducting strategic naps)… our human was out earning a few new certifications.

Firefighter Cubbage is now a Certified Instructor for:

🚑 Adult First Aid
👶 Pediatric First Aid
❤️ CPR / AED (All Ages)
🌲 Wilderness First Aid
🩸 Stop the Life Threatening Bleeding
🫁 Oxygen Administration
💉 Epinephrine Auto Injector Use
🧬 Bloodborne Pathogens
🧒 Child & Babysitting Safety
🚨 Emergency Medical Response
🏥 Basic Life Support
🩺 Advanced First Aid
🩹 Advanced Bleeding Control

Basically… if things go sideways, our handler is the one you want around.

We’re pretty proud of our human. She keeps learning new ways to help people — and still finds time to train with us and answer SAR calls.

Now if she could just get certified in “Unlimited Treat Distribution,” we’d really be impressed.

🐕 K9 Merle Haggard & 🐕 K9 Peat Moss

01/03/2026

🥶❄️ Turns out Montana winter is good for something… for the humans, anyway. ❄️🥶

Our human, Firefighter Cubbage, just earned her Ice Rescue Specialist certification, which involved cold water, frozen lakes, and things we were extremely grateful not to take part in. We proudly supervised from a safe, dry distance.

While we’ll stick to warm blankets and
sniff-based rescues, it’s good knowing she’s trained and ready when icy situations happen. Nice work, Firefighter Cubbage! We’re thankful this training was not a K9 requirement. 🐾🚒❄️

15/02/2026

💕🐾 Happy Valentine’s Day! 🐾💕

Love comes in many forms… sometimes it has four paws, muddy boots, and an unwavering commitment to serve. 💪🐶

Sending lots of love this Valentine’s Day from K9 Merle Haggard and K9 Peat Moss — two very good boys who give their hearts (and noses) to the job every single day.

Wishing everyone a day filled with love, loyalty, and maybe a few extra treats. ❤️🐾

01/01/2026

🐾 From SaR K9s Merle & Peat 🐾

Not sponsored—just genuinely grateful. This year, we were fortunate to work with and purchase from a few incredible companies that helped make our Search and Rescue adventures possible:

• Lifeworks Production – K9 Hero Cards
Lifework Productions
• Rock Creek Crates – Collapsing travel crates that go everywhere we do
Rock Creek Crates
• LMNT – Keeping our human properly fueled and hydrated
DrinkLMNT
• StarLink - Mobile WiFi connection for search missions to run command and mapping in austere environments
Starlink

While we handled the four-legged work, it was a very busy year on the human certification side too:

✔️ National Search and Rescue Association – SARTECH II
✔️ National Registry – Emergency Medical Technician
✔️ Montana State EMT
✔️ Montana State EMT Instructor
✔️ NSAR – Wilderness EMT
✔️ Boating, ATV, and Snowmobile Licenses

And now for the real superstars (that would be us 🐶):
✨ Nationally Certified in
• Area Live Find
• Scent Discriminating Trailing

Overall, our stats look a little different this year—especially the driving miles. The vehicle is still confused about the lack of late-night, bad-weather, long-distance missions:

• 10.5 hours of meetings
• 359.75 hours of training (human and/or K9)
• 3 searches
• 14 community service events
• 3,006.5 miles traveled

2025 has been a year of transition—new state, new team, new experiences—and plenty of growth along the way.

Here’s to 2026 and whatever adventures it has in store. 🐾🚨

FVVFD SaR K9 Merle Haggard

04/05/2026

26/04/2026

17/04/2026

05/04/2026

30/03/2026

28/03/2026

19/03/2026

12/03/2026

01/03/2026

15/02/2026

01/01/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organization

Shortcuts

Share