More than ever, search dogs are needed in Haiti to find survivors of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12. Canine disaster search teams are important because they are the quickest and safest ways to locate people who may be trapped under the rubble. Dogs who have been specially trained can sniff out victims and will stand above where they may be trapped and bark until its handler arrives with help to save whoever may be below. Ojai, California-based National Search Dog Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 that find dogs from shelters, partners them with a firefighter or dog handler, and trains the duo to become an ass-kickingly awesome rescue team. The SDF currently has search teams in California, Florida, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. Although the SDF was originally created to help supplement emergency response in the U.S., since January 13, it has deployed several teams to Haiti, and so far the dogs have found multiple survivors, including three children who were trapped for almost four days under rubble in Port-Au-Prince.

Hooray for these great dogs and for the National Search Dog Foundation!

If you’d like to help the cause and mission of the National Search Dog Foundation, you can donate to the organization. If you’re strapped for cash, like many of us are, you can also give a hand by volunteering your services.