When the 501(c)(3) K-9 search and rescue team formed in 2002, our mission was to dutifully honor the Search and Rescue motto, “That others may live.” For years, we have partnered with local and state law enforcement to successfully execute field searches in Arkansas and surrounding states.
In 2010, our dogs began to partner with other institutions, like the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In addition to utilizing our dogs for search and rescue efforts, our dogs are now used in studies to sniff out hard-to-detect cancers.
With this growth and exceptional potential to more fully live out the SAR motto, we formally changed the 501(c)(3) to the American Scent Dog Association and updated our organization’s creed, “Dedicated to the training and certification of dogs for human scent detection.”
Despite the name change, ASDA’s mission and objectives remain the same: to harness the incredible, olfactory senses of man’s favorite companion in order to save lives.