In Memoriam – SC-TF1 Search Canine "Dixie"

I recieved a report about the passing of one of our search canines, Dixie, today from Dan McManus, the SC-TF1 Director:

“It is with great sadness I report to you that Dixie, one of the State US&R Team’s four service dogs, died December 31^st, 2008, due to an intestinal failure. Sadly, our 8 year old canine passed away in her kennel at the home of canine handler Duane Brock on New Years Eve, Dixie will be missed by every member on this team.

Dixie was a Labrador who has had quite an amazing life serving her country as a search and rescue canine. She started training when she was a puppy as a human scent detection canine. This type of training is used for when victims are trapped in debris and are not visible to the human eye.

 Her career started by serving almost two years with the FEMA Tennessee Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One (TN-TF1)  until she was recruited to South Carolina’s US&R Task Force (SC-TF1) in June of 2005. Shortly after joining the South Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Team, Dixie was deployed to St. Bernard Parish with the Task Force for the rescue efforts of Hurricane Katrina. Recently Dixie and our other three canines were flown to and from Columbia to Beaufort in a National Guard Chinook Helicopter to participate in the largest disaster response exercise of its kind. According to our pilots it was the first time in their long military careers have they transported Search and Rescue K9′s anywhere.

Our handlers are volunteers who take on a great amount of personal and family time in order to staff our team with specialized canines such as Dixie. During the years, any handler will tell you even though they are not your average house pet and are to be used as a highly specialized tool, they become a large part of your life and it’s hard to lose them so suddenly. Please keep Canine Handler Duane Brock and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Although Dixie was the oldest of our canines, her drive and motivation to work as a member on SC-TF1 was undeniable. Her dedication to this organization will be deeply missed by all of us and because of this, we will find a location in our new building to remember her service by.”

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