NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines

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NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines

When someone is hurting, NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines responds to reduce the distress caused by traumatic events and inspire resilience and recovery.

Canines Inspiring Resilience + Recovery in the midst of Crisis (TM)

10/16/2026

NATIONAL COMPETENCY EVALUATION | FEBRUARY 19–20, 2027 | FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE

Behind every NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines team is a commitment to preparation, training, and the well-being of both the canine and handler.

This February, NATIONAL will host a two-day Competency Evaluation in Franklin, TN, where canine teams demonstrate the skills, teamwork, and readiness required for potential certification as crisis response canine teams.

These evaluations are about more than skills alone. They help ensure our teams are prepared to work safely and effectively alongside first responders and other response professionals in times of crisis, trauma, and disaster.

🐕 Why does this matter? Because when people are hurting, the right support matters. NATIONAL teams prepare long before the call comes, so they are ready when requested.

We’re proud of the volunteers who invest their time, energy, and heart into this important work!

Photo Credit: Dan Shepard. Photo shared with first responder's permission, taken during a training.

10/08/2026

🐾Throwback Thursday🐾
June, 2017 Alaska Competency Evaluation

10/03/2026

⁨Preparedness is not waiting for a crisis. Preparedness is what we do before the crisis.

For NATIONAL volunteers, preparedness is about building relationships, creating community connections, and making time for training long before the call for help comes.

It's about showing up, getting involved, and helping our response partners understand the value of having a trained crisis response canine team ready when they need one.

Because when the call comes, the groundwork has already been laid.

Crisis is unpredictable. Our readiness shouldn't be. 🐾

⁩

10/02/2026

Volunteer Highlight of the Month: Handler Kelly and canine Atlas

❓ # 1. What did you do before becoming a volunteer with NATIONAL? I’ve been a therapy dog handler for 14 years.
❓ # 2. Why did you choose to train with NATIONAL? I wanted to make a difference for people during some of their most difficult moments of their lives. The presence of a calm, loving canine can reduce anxiety and help someone feel safe enough to take that next step.
❓ # 3. What is your favorite dessert? Nothing better than a plain chocolate brownie!
❓ # 4. What is Atlas's favorite activity when he needs to de-stress after working? Atlas loves to sniff anything and everything! He’s also very fond of napping!

Kelly and canine Atlas hail from Illinois, and NATIONAL is thrilled to have this team supporting our mission.

09/23/2026

NATIONAL Preparedness Month reminds us that preparedness starts long before the crisis.

When a community has a trained, certified Crisis Response Canine team ready to respond, support can be available where and when it’s needed most—without waiting for a team to travel from somewhere else.

For volunteers, responding to a crisis request can mean significant travel costs: airfare, ground transportation, lodging, meals, and time away from home and work. Training locally and maintaining credentials with NATIONAL helps build that capacity before the call comes.

For response agencies, certified canine teams can be integrated as an embedded resource within your organization, at the agency’s discretion—serving under your banner, leadership, and chain of command.

With NATIONAL, we have your back—and your community’s back—when it comes to learning, training, preparedness, and maintaining Crisis Response Canine credentials.

NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines — building trained, certified teams in communities across the country.
https://crisisresponsecanines.org/

Photo shared with permission. Photo Credit: Dan Shepard

09/19/2026

💙 In honor of Su***de Prevention Month 💙

NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines were honored to walk alongside individuals and families who have lost loved ones to su***de.

Our canine teams were there to offer what they do best- quiet connection- and to remind us that no one has to walk through difficult moments alone.

We are grateful to the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention for bringing people together to remember, connect, and support one another.

🐾💙 Together, we walk. Together, we remember. Together, we support.

Photo shared with permission.

***dePreventionMonth

09/15/2026

🐾 Training. Readiness. Trust.

In crisis response, being a friendly dog isn’t enough. Teams need the training, skills, and judgment to safely support people in unpredictable environments.

That’s why training and certification with NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines matters.

Our process is about readiness—not racing to the finish line. We take the time to build confident, capable teams who are prepared when their community needs them most.

Train with purpose. Certify with confidence. Be ready when it matters. 🐾.

Visit https://learn.crisisresponsecanines.org/ to Get Started on your path to certifying with NATIONAL.

09/09/2026

Canine Annabelle appears a little concerned about what she’s watching. 🐾💜

Handler Dan naturally and quietly provides reassurance through a secure physical grounding—using his forearm to cradle Annabelle’s head while his left arm offers gentle, reassuring pressure at her backside.

No fuss. No overreaction. Just a handler reading his canine, recognizing what she needs, and offering calm support.

Well done, Handler Dan! You deserve a hot cocoa tonight. ☕️💜🐾

Address

285 Blair Ave
Friday Harbor, WA
98250

Website

https://www.crisisresponsecanines.org/

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