Wilma Melville
The Search Dog Foundation was founded in 1995 by retired schoolteacher, Wilma Melville after her and her Advanced-Certified search dog were deployed to the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. Only one survivor was found by a dog, and it was clear that the country had a severe shortage of Canine Disaster Search Teams. Determined to do something about this alarming gap in our national disaster response network, Wilma founded the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation and designed a program based on the recruitment of rescued dogs and on a streamlined, professional training methodology. Her goal was to improve the way search dogs were chosen, trained, and to partner them with firefighters and other first responders. 13 years later, the foundation is flourishing and providing life-saving canine assistance to fire departments around the US.
