Disaster Dog Podcast

Mike and Rami sit down with Denise from the Search Dog Foundation to talk dogs, handlers, training, and everything that goes into building a successful search team.

Denise takes us behind the scenes at SDF—from finding and selecting dogs, to interviewing handlers, making the right match, and training teams at their incredible facility. We also get into SDF’s grant programs, their support of the search dog community, and their sponsorship of a SUSAR Canine Evaluation with Illinois Task Force 1.

We also look back at the relationship we’ve built with SDF over the last s...

Rami and Mike are back for Episode 10 of the Disaster Dog Podcast with plenty to catch up on after a busy summer.

They kick things off with a look back at their international summer vacations, sharing some stories from their travels and what they’ve been up to away from the disaster dog world.

Then it’s back to work. The guys recap a training trip to New York, talking about the experience, training opportunities, and the value of getting outside your home training environment and working alongside other teams and handlers.

The conv...

In this special tribute episode of the Disaster Dog Podcast, we sit down to bid farewell to one of the original K9 handlers of Illinois Task Force 1, Geoff Gardiner.

Over the past 24 years, Geoff has built an incredible career in the working dog community. Beginning as a police K9 handler with a Rottweiler, he later transitioned into urban search and rescue, ultimately working three generations of Belgian Malinois with Illinois Task Force 1. Throughout the conversation, Geoff reflects on the evolution of disaster search dogs, the changes he's witnessed in training and deployment, and the lessons learned from...

We're naming this the Hijack Episode. It Probably won't be the last since we think it's a cool concept. Dr. Jennifer Brown interviews Dr. Michael Davis; a licensed veterinarian that is board-certified in both veterinary internal medicine and veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation.

For nearly 3 decades, he has been employed at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine as an exercise physiologist with a research career focused on exercise pathophysiology and enhancing performance of working animals. His research has spanned racing sled dogs, off-leash detection dogs, and multipurpose canines.

We mention it in the introduction...

Mike and Rami sit down in the studio with Tim Houweling of California Task Force 3 for an in-depth conversation about his unique journey from a career in finance to the fire service—and how that path ultimately led him into the world of working dogs. Tim shares how he got his start, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and the passion that drives his work today.

The conversation dives into the nonprofit organizations Tim developed, including HD Search Dogs and The Siren Project (www.thesirenproject.org), highlighting their missions and impact. They also take a hard...

Rami and Mike sit down to tackle one of the more talked-about topics in the disaster response canine world — FSAs and testing in USAR. In this episode, they break down the true spirit and intent behind the tests, how different teams interpret and implement them in the field, and what a “new school” mindset might look like moving forward.

This conversation dives into philosophy, standards, training culture, and the evolving expectations of disaster search dogs. Some of the takes may ruffle feathers — and that’s intentional. The goal isn’t agreement; it’s dialogue.

If this episode s...

Mike and Rami head back into the studio to wrap up their origin stories. In this episode, Rami opens up about his unconventional path—from realizing college wasn’t the right fit to the specific "why" behind his first working K9.

We again dive into why travel is the ultimate training tool, discussing how diverse exposure builds a more resilient dog and a sharper handler. Along the way, the guys find common ground in shared trauma and their time in the fire service. Finally, Rami shares his vision for the future of the Disaster Dog Podcast and the...

In this long-awaited intro episode, Rami and Mike sit down to share part 1 of the origin story behind the mission.  Mike opens up about his careers, some team history, and the unexpected path that led him into the world of working dogs.

It wasn't always a smooth ride—Mike shares the "humble" beginnings of owning a dog that literally ate the trim off his walls, and the journey of lessons learned that eventually led him to become the Canine Coordinator for IL-TF1.

We sit down with Macy Hunsicker of Virginia Task Force 1 after she braved nearly 10 inches of snow to make the drive from Virginia to Chicago. Macy walks us through her path into the K9 world, from her early days showing dogs in 4-H to deploying internationally on recent missions. We dive into the importance of environmental exposure, the realities of “washing” dogs from K9 programs and making those tough decisions, and her newest chapter—developing both Live Find and HRD USAR dogs. Macy also shares her perspective on working for the federal government and what life looks like in her ne...

In this episode, Mike and Rami sit down with Dr. Jennifer Brown of Florida Task Force 2 and the FEMA Incident Support Team (IST). Jen shares her remarkable journey from working as an equine surgeon to becoming a canine sports medicine and rehabilitation veterinarian.

She offers insight into the development of her working Labrador breeding program, discussing what it takes to produce dogs capable of excelling not only in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) but across various working and performance disciplines.

We also dive into her history as a USAR handler, with an impressive record of...

We kick off our very first episode with a special guest—Ryan Cusack of Indiana Task Force 1. Ryan takes us through his journey, from an early fascination with canines, to working alongside his now-retired live find partner, Jake, and ultimately stepping into his current role as Search Team Manager for IN-TF1.

In this episode, Ryan shares stories of memorable deployments, reflects on how the world of search and rescue canines has evolved over the years, and even gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his recent flight with the Air Force Thunderbirds.

It was an honor to...