Teresa has been a SAR professional since 2009, and joined BSARD in November 2014. In addition to her duties as a Senior K9 Handler, she also provides Operations and Field Support as necessary.
Teresa and her current K9 partners Percy and Sagan are certified for Human Remains Detection on Land and Human Remains Detection in Water.
Prior certifications she held with Leilani are Mantrailing, Human Remains Detection on Land, and Human Remains Detection in Water.
Teresa’s personal certifications include NASAR SARTECH II, NIMS ICS courses (100, 200, 700, and 800), and Adult, Child and Infant First Aid, CPR and AED. Other training she has completed throughout her career include GPS Navigation, Crime Scene Preservation, Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Awareness, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Awareness, Personal Respiratory Protection, Personal Protection against Blood-borne Pathogens, and Canine First Aid.
Teresa has been a board member of the Ohio Federation of K9 Search and Rescue Teams for 12 years. She served as Treasurer from 2014 through 2019, and is the sitting Vice President since 2020.
Teresa is a retired school psychologist.
K9 Perseus (Percy), Active since 2017
Percy is a male Curly-Coated Retriever, born December 2017.
He began training for SAR work in February 2018, and now holds certifications for Human Remains Detection on Land and Human Remains Detection in Water.
Percy was certified as an AKC Canine Good Citizen in April 2024.
Percy likes to range far while he is working, but stays close to Teresa at home.
K9 Sagan, Active since 2022
Sagan is a female Curly-Coated Retriever, born May 2022.
She began training in August 2022 and now holds a certification for Human Remains Detection on Land. She is in training for a certification for Human Remains Detection in Water and Mantrailing.
Sagan was certified as an AKC Canine Good Citizen in April 2023.
At home Sagan serves on sneeze patrol, rushing to check on anyone who sneezes to make sure they are okay.
K9 Leilani, Active from 2014 to 2021
Leilani was a female Curly-Coated Retriever, born January 2008. She began her SAR career with another SAR team in 2009 and came to BSARD with Teresa in November 2014.
She was certified for Mantrailing, Human Remains Detection on Land and Human Remains Detection in Water. During her 6-year career with BSARD she participated in 25 search operations.
Leilani retired in October 2020 and passed away in 2021.
K9 Kestrel, Active from 2014 to 2016
Kestrel was a female Curly-Coated Retriever, born August 2014.
She was training for Mantrailing, Human Remains Detection on Land and Human Remains Detection in Water, but was forced to cut her career short because of a health issue.
She retired in July 2016 and enjoyed a long retirement before passing away in August 2023.
