Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue is one of the few OSARVA teams to have OPP/OSARVA certified civilian search and rescue dogs. Although these K9 Teams are affiliated with a specific OSARVA team, such as GBSAR, they are considered a provincial resource to be requested by any search team in Ontario. These certified teams could be requested by the OPP to help out anywhere in the province.
Susan has been a member of GBSAR since 2001. She started as a ground searcher before forming our team’s K9 Unit. Susan is also the Provincial K9 Coordinator for OSARVA. If you have any questions about K9 Search and Rescue in the province of Ontario, she can be contacted at susan@osarva.ca.
K9 Zena is a live find OSARVA/OPP certified dog. She first certified in 2019. Zena is a Belgian Malinois that was born o February 6, 2017.
Bruno joined GBSAR in 2022 as a Basic ground searcher after a career with the Royal Canadian Air Force where he gained experience in search and rescue.
K9 Mikaw: The word Mikaw is an Ojibwa word that means: “to find”. She was born on 9 February 2021 near Brussels, Belgium. She first certified as a wilderness search and rescue dog with the Ontario Provincial Police in September 2023.
K9 Zori – Zori was first certified by the OPP in 2008, and remained so until 2019 when she retired. Zori is a Belgian Malinois that was born on October 17, 2006 in Florida. Zori passed away in 2024.
K9 Zappa – Zappa is a NAPWDA (North American Police Work Dog Association) certified Human Remains Detection dog. He first certified in 2015. Zappa and Susan travel to Massachusetts each year for re-certification. He is a Belgian Malinois that was born on December 21, 2013 in California.
Barrie Today – May 15, 2023: Georgian Bay Search and Rescue partnered with Canadian Wings and Rescue to get dogs acclimatized to air travel. Read more.
The Canadian Military Engineers Association – December 2, 2023: Georgian Bay Search and Rescue Team Trains at Fire & CBRN Academy. Read more.
