Jessie, a Labrador retriever, is a Marin County Urban Search and Rescue K9. Novato Fire Engineer Mike Taul’s black lab is one of only about 200 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certified search and rescue canines in the entire country. Jessie responds to search and rescue calls not only in Marin, but across the United States. He was on the scene during the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita, Gustav and Ike. The training regimen required to keep Jessie in a state of operational readiness is very demanding. The dog and his canine handler regularly train in hazardous environments meant to mimic disaster scenes. They are on call 24/7 with many days, sometimes weeks, away on deployment living under very stressful conditions. Jessie is trained to find survivors. Search and rescue dogs like Jessie can make the difference between life and death for disaster victims.
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No one wants their animals to become the victims of a disaster. The CVMF is working to prevent this from happening by providing relief and aid in the interest of animal health in the event of a disaster. They will accomplish this by working with the CVMA's Disaster Preparedness Committee and by providing funds for: