SFCC proudly employs three volunteer members of the Intermountain Search Dogs, a nonprofit organization based out of Spokane County. They work under the authority of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department as aid for search and rescue. 

One of these people is Phoebe Duke, the member coordinator for the team, who has been an athletic trainer at SFCC for 40 years. Everyday, Duke comes to work at SFCC with her 6-year-old Labrador retriever, Hunter.

Since he was 8 weeks old, Hunter and Phoebe have been training on how to find missing people through the Search and Rescue Academy. It takes over 100 hours and lots of money in order to become search and rescue certified. 

“People are amazed we don’t get paid for it. Not only is it volunteer, but we pay for everything out of pocket” Duke said. This includes training, supplies, and anything else they might need on the job.

While they might not get a paycheck, Hunter gets his rewards after a job well done with a game of tug or chasing a ball. 

“He’ll do that all day long,” Duke said. 

One of Hunter’s most recent tasks was finding one of eight people who were buried on Silver Mountain on Jan. 7.

A Two Bear Air helicopter was able to narrow the space where the woman was thought to be, to about a 30-by-30-foot area, where they then used Hunter and another dog to pinpoint exactly where she was. 

The Washington Post called it a morning on the ski slopes that turned to tragedy. The avalanche killed three people and injured four on open run.

Most of what Intermountain Search Dogs is known for is going out and looking for lost hunters, Alzheimer’s patients, and autistic kids. 

Duke would tell anyone wanting to do what she does that it takes “a ton of time and a ton of money.”

Both Alida King, and her dogs Dezzi and Remi, and Karen Kelly and her dogs Bliss and TaSul also work at SFCC and volunteer their time with Intermountain Search Dogs.

More information and photos of all of the canine members can be found on their website, intermountainsearchdogs.org.