The Rescued Dogs That Rescue People

Because she lives in California, Wilma Melville wanted to be ready to help future earthquake victims. So she decided to train her own Search and Rescue Dog.

When a bomb exploded in the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, Wilma and her dog Murphy deployed to the disaster site.  It was then that she realized there was a need for more dogs and better trained dogs.

Her dog training project grew into The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, a charitable organization that has sent rescue teams all over the world to aid in crises. Her plan was to recruit rescue dogs, train them for disasters and match them with firefighters.

“Perseverance,” Wilma insists, “is the most necessary trait. I am not particularly intelligent, no more than the average person but I have an abundance of perseverance that knows no end.”