Speaker – Kim Cooper
Kim Cooper has been a member of the Ottawa Valley SAR Dog Association (OVSARDA) and a SAR dog handler since 1991. She retired from a career as an Air Force engineering officer and became owner/senior instructor of Best Friends Dog Training in Ottawa, which she ran for 30 years. A cadaver dog handler since 2007, she has certified through the OPP, FEMA, IPWDA and NAPWDA over the years. Currently, she has been active in exploring the possibilities of Historic HRD dogs and their application to searches for unmarked graves at residential schools.
For the past three years, OVSARDA has been deploying human remains detection dogs to archeological projects in the search for unmarked graves. Most of these searches have been related to Indian Residential Schools. This session will present background on this ground-breaking operational profile, K9 training and deployment considerations, as well as lessons learned through participation in dozens of anthropological projects.
This seminar offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from real-world operational experience at the intersection of canine detection work, archaeology, and historical investigation.
Some of Kim’s accomplishments include:
- Certified 4 SAR dogs to OPP standards (only 20 dogs have ever achieved this certification, Kim is proud to have coached 14 of them, and partner to 4)
- Certified 1 SAR dog to RCMP standards
- Certified as a FEMA Canine Search Specialist (1 of only 2 Canadians to ever achieve this certification)
- Certified 4 cadaver dogs with IPWDA and NAPWDA
- Handled multiple dogs on the deepest water find by dogs in Canada (218′)
- Veteran of over 300 searches for missing persons
- Founder, Ottawa Valley SAR Dog Association
- Founding Director, Ontario SAR Volunteer Assn
Banquet Dinner
Enjoy a full dinner and presentation in the licensed dining room of the on-site restaurant! Experience the camaraderie of fellow competitors and judges in a relaxed setting as well as a stimulating first-hand account of the training and deployment of historical human remains detection dogs. Seats are limited! The evening will feature a roast beef dinner including all sides and dessert (vegetarian option is stuffed peppers.
Seats are limited to 40 people on a first come, first served basis and the cost is $65.00 plus HST. You can reserve your spot here: