MELISSA ELLIS - K9 Handler

BARK Board of Directors

BARK Vice President

K-9 SASHA

NNDDA Certified for

Land / Water Cadaver Detection

K-9 RECON

NNDDA Certified for

Land / Water Cadaver & Area Search

• Five years of cadaver recovery experience

• Bachelor degree in Biology from SIUC

• Bachelor degree in Management from SIUC

• Chemical, Ordinance,Biological, & Radiological (COBRA) training with the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) 2001 - Aniston, AL

• County Emergency Services Function (ESF) training 2001 - Monroe Co, FL
• Waterborne Illness / Bioterrorism / Chemical Terrorism 2001 - Monroe Co, FL
• Biomedical Waste training 2000 - Monroe Co, FL
• Environmental Health training 1999 - Monroe Co, FL
• Ethics Conference 1998
• BS in Management and Biology
• Honorable Discharge from the US Air Force
• ICS 100/200/700
• NNDDA Member
• Scent Theory study
• Crime Scene Preservation study
• Experienced in court room testimony

 Melissa and her K9s have been deployed on over 100 searches since 2004, to include the following notable searches:

• a deployment to Aruba to assist in the search for Natalie Holloway
• a deployment to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, LA to assist in the recovery of victims of Hurricane Katrina
• a nine month deployment to Iraq to assist the US military in the search for missing American soldiers in 2007

• NNDDA certified for land & water cadaver
• AKC Canine Good Citizen
• Obedience and Agility trained

K-9 “Sasha” is a female Catahoula born in November 2002. She has deployed on over 100 searches in areas all over Florida, Georgia, New Orleans, Aruba and Iraq since she was first certified in December 2003. She has several cadaver recoveries on land and in water to include recoveries in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Seminars

2008:   Cadaver Disaster seminar in Tampa, FL (2 days)

2006:

  NNDDA seminar in Beaumont, TX (4 days)

  Vehicle Search Seminar with J & K K-9 Academy   in Alachua, FL (1 day)

  Cadaver Detection Seminar with J & K K-9    

  Academy in Alachua, FL (2 days)

  Jonni Joyce Cadaver Seminar in NC (3 days)

2005:

  Urban Search & Rescue/Recovery Seminar in

  Tampa, FL (2 days)

2004:

  CSAR Seminar in AL (1 week of water cadaver recovery)

  Water Cadaver Seminar in Tampa, FL (3 days)

2003:

  CSAR Seminar in NC (1 week of wilderness cadaver recovery)

• NNDDA certified land & water cadaver
• NNDDA certified area search
• Obedience and Agility trained

K-9 “Recon” is a female Golden Retriever born on November 20th 2005 at Webshire Kennels in Wisconsin. At 16 weeks of age, Recon was started on scent work. To gain valuable experience, she was deployed on 11 searches in 2006 and allowed to search areas already cleared by certified dogs and was allowed to search a murder scene once all evidence had been gathered. Just after her one year birthday, she obtained her advanced land and water cadaver certifications as well as her area search certification with the NNDDA.

At 14 months of age, on January 20^th 2007, she deployed with me to Iraq. Our mission was to find missing Americans. We were contracted by American K-9 Detection Services, Inc. out of Miami, FL and worked directly for the Army. From January 2007 – October 2007, we were deployed on over 40 missions in Iraq.

Seminars

2008:

  Cadaver Disaster seminar (2 days)

2006:

  NNDDA seminar in Beaumont, TX (4 days) 

  Vehicle Search Seminar with J & K K-9 

  Academy, in Alachua, FL (1 day)

  Cadaver Detection Seminar with J & K K-9 

  Academy in Alachua, FL (2 days)

  Jonni Joyce Cadaver Seminar in NC (3 days)

SUSAN PERCIVAL - K9 Handler

BARK Secretary

K-9 FINNIGAN

NAPWDA Certified for

Air Scent Area Search - 2008

K-9 WATSON

in Training for

Tracking/Trailing

• IS 100/200 & 700
• NASAR - Managing the Lost Person Incident
• USAR Task Force Orientation
• Land Map & Compass Navigation Training
• NAPWDA member since 2005
• Master's Degree in Social Work 20+ years
• Certified National Alzheimer's Instructor/Trainer
• Certified CISM/CISD Debriefer

• Obedience & Advanced Agility - J & K Canine Academy

ANDY PERCIVAL - Technical Support

BARK Board of Directors

BARK Treasurer

ILENE ROSOFF - K9 Handler

K-9 Rhett

Trained for Cadaver Detection

SYLVIA BRLECIC - K-9 Handler         

BARK Founder

BARK Board of Directors

HAROLD BRLECIC - K-9 Handler

• NAPWDA Member since 2007
• Battalion Commander of Training - North Naples Fire Department
• Firefighter for 20+ years
• EMT Certified
• Haz-Mat Technician & State Fire Instructor I
• High-angle & Confined-space Rescue Training
• Structural Collapse Training
• Trench Rescue Training
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Training
• Arson Investigation & Fire Inspection Training
•   ICS-100, 200, 300, 700 & 800
• Certified Fire Officer 1, Arson Investigator 1, Haz-Mat Technician
• Florida State Fire Instructor 1 
• Land Map & Compass Navigation Training

• CPR/AED Certified
• Certifed by Red Cross Adult/Child First Aid
• Land Map & Compass Navigation Training
• Advanced Survival Skill Training
• Canine Good Citizen Award
• Advanced Obedience Training
•  Certified Therapy Dog

Sylvia and Harold relocated to Alabama in 2005. They continue to train, deploy and certify their many German shepherds and Shetland Sheepdogs in cadaver detection in Alabama. Sylvia is a K-9 Trainer, Handler & Evaluator and a Veterinary Technician. She is trained in Animal First Aid & CPR, SAR Technical support training, First Responder training, Amateur Radio License, Land Navigation, Detection of Human Remains, Scent Theory, NIMS 100, 200 & 700, and NASAR's Managing the Lost Person Incident. Harold is trained in Field Responder, Amateur Radio License, Land Navigation, Detection of Human Remains, Scent Theory, SAR Technical support, First Responder, & Crime Scene Preservation training.