6 Dogs Help Launch Scottsdale's New Search Team For Missing Hikers

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — When a hiker goes missing in Scottsdale's desert preserves, six dogs are now part of the response.

Scottsdale has launched a specialized search and rescue team that pairs city personnel with trained K-9s to find missing or injured people across the city's more than 300 miles of trails, washes and open space.

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The City of Scottsdale Search and Rescue Team, known as COSSAR, brings together Scottsdale Fire Department and Police Department personnel, preserve staff and K-9 handlers under one unified unit.

Meet the dogs: Leon, Kory, Ploy, Finnley, Sully and Dillon.

Each is trained in one of two disciplines — air scent detection, which allows them to pick up human scent across large outdoor areas to help locate missing hikers, or human remains detection, which helps rescuers find deceased victims across a range of environmental conditions.

The 10 K-9 handlers on the team are certified through the National Association for Search and Rescue at the SARTECH II level, a nationally recognized standard in the search and rescue field. Two volunteer handlers with decades of field experience are also integrated into the team's operations.

Scottsdale Fire Chief Tom Shannon, whose vision drove the creation of the unit, said the desert environment demands a dedicated resource.

"The desert environment can quickly become dangerous, especially during extreme heat or when hikers are unprepared," Shannon said. "This team provides a dedicated, highly trained search and rescue resource focused specifically on challenging terrain."

Beyond the dogs, team members are trained in navigation, unified command coordination, evidence preservation, technical communications and responder safety.

The team is designed to respond not only within Scottsdale but also in neighboring jurisdictions when requested, officials said.

City Manager Greg Caton called the launch a reflection of Scottsdale's commitment to proactive public safety investment. "Scottsdale residents and visitors enjoy unparalleled access to our preserve system and open spaces, and public safety remains one of our highest priorities," he said.

The city said future plans include expanded ground search capabilities and additional specialized technology for preserve and open space operations.