Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies of Real-Life Search and Rescue Missions [Paperback]

Susan Bulanda (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0944875637 | ISBN-13: 978-0944875636 | Publication Date: May 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

A collection of actual missions from around the world. This book will help rescuers and those intrigued by S & R to understand the different types of missions and what researchers face in terms of varying geographic conditions, etc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: Doral Publishing; 1 edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944875637
• ISBN-13: 978-0944875636
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been an author for many years. My first publication was a children's short story which was published in 1970. More recently I won the prestigious Maxwell award from the Dog Writers Association of America and awards from the National League of American Pen Women. I have developed two programs for students who want to become dog trainers and canine behavior consultants at Kutztown University, where I teach. I am the former vice president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and have been a dog and cat behavior consultant for many years. Please check out my web site for articles that will interest pet loves and writers. I am a member, and on the advisory committee of the National Search Dog Alliance. My husband and I have over 25 years of volunteer service managing Canine Search and Rescue units and training SAR dogs. We are both certified as Search Managers and Incident Commanders. I also formed the American Beauceron Club and was instrumental in introducing this breed of dog to the United States. I trained the first Beauceron and Border Collie for search and rescue. I am a senior conformation judge with the United Kennel Club. My latest book, God's Creatures: A Biblical View of Animals combines my two lifelong passions, animals and Theology. I have trained the first dogs in the United States to detect toxic mold and hold a patent on the use and training of these dogs. I love to write both fiction and non-fiction. I am currently working on a book of humorous short stories and another serious book about an aspect of the Holocaust that has not previously been researched. I have a wonderful grandson who will be one year old August, 2009. I am proud to say that my son served in the Marines in Iraq. I like old cars, and my husband and I have a 1954 Dodge M37 military vehicle. I would love to get a 1950's Jeepster.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone. Slow reading, but a must for SAR members., January 14, 2001

By 

Paul Duer (Placerville, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies of Real-Life Search and Rescue Missions (Paperback)

Books about Search and Rescue, and those of us who do it, are rare. A non-fiction book with stories of real-life missions is too good to resist.

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" by Susan Bulanda contains over two dozen authentic SAR missions from all over the United States, and even beyond. Susan presents stories from seemingly every kind of mission - mountains, deserts, cities, snow and heat, kids and oldsters, people who wanted to be found, and people who didn't. All possible outcomes are here too, so not every story has a happy ending.

However, "Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" is not your typical true life adventure book. It's simultaneously less and more. For starters, Susan didn't really write it. Rather, she solicited mission reports, maps, and pictures from other searchers and collected them in a book. This format makes it hard to read at times (not everyone writes well) but the personal details have a way of drawing you in. When you read about someone longing to go search while a prisoner of their day job, or feeling that rush when the subject is found alive, you are bound to think, "Boy, do I ever know what you mean!"

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" is a paradox in other ways. It limits itself to reports from SAR managers and dog handlers - no foot searchers, OHV'ers, mounted riders or other disciplines. Yet the writers are seasoned and experienced, and there's a lot of sagacity packed into 238 pages. Every incident includes a "Search Tips" section, and these alone are worth the price of the book. (Example: "Always ask if the subject is afraid of animals, especially dogs. I thought the rifle was just for rabbits.")

In fact, learning from others' experiences is undoubtedly the highest and best use for this remarkable book. SAR teams rarely share what they've learned, thanks to our volunteer status and County focus. "Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" would be valuable if all it did was breach that great divide a bit. But add the personal empathy this book generates, and it's a must. If you're serious about SAR, especially if you're a SAR manager or dog handler, add this to your library.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid SAR Stories, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies of Real-Life Search and Rescue Missions (Paperback)

This was a great book, and very helpful to those just getting started in SAR. However, I wish I had known it was SO dog specific before I bought it. None of the reviews or the synopsis of the book mentioned its focus on SAR dogs. Again, a great book, but beware if you are not looking for search dog stories...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn from the successes & failures of SAR dog handlers, November 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies of Real-Life Search and Rescue Missions (Paperback)

One of the best ways to learn are from the true life-stories of other people. Ready to Serve - Ready to Save provides just that vehicle to SAR dog handlers and mission coordinators. It is not unusual to leave mission base after a particularly long and difficult search, mentally recounting all the shoulda, coulda, wouldas. I am grateful that Susan has invested the time and effort to help rescuers learn from the experiences of others who have been there. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in the exhilerating life of search and rescue.