Out-of-work search dog

Ares the German shepherd needs a job.

His owner Dale Lawyer is a paramedic/engineer with Central Emergency Services in Alaska. Ares, a trained search-and-rescue dog, was laid off when CES's budget was cut during union negotiations.

Read the story in the Homer (Alaska) Tribune by Jenny Neyman here.

“If there’s a 5-year-old child that’s lost right now, we can’t go,’” Lawyer said Thursday. “It’s just really sad for something that service area members paid for. Your tax dollars paid to get this dog in service, yet you have to go to some mom and say, ‘Yeah, you paid for all this, but we’re not going to use it.’ That’s just not acceptable.”

Normally, agencies buy and train rescue dogs, but Lawyer bought the dog himself and when they both were trained pitched the idea of bringing Ares on board to CES.

Lawyer said he’s planning to spend another 10 years or so with CES, and wants to have Ares with him the whole time, which is the average span of a working dog’s career. Lawyer wants to get him certified in water and land cadaver searches and avalanche searches, as well.

He is planning a presentation today to the borough Assembly to see if funding can be restored.

Let's hope Lawyer can convince CES's board to change its mind.