For all water classes, the dog must be at least at an intermediate Human Remains Detection (HRD) level on land. If your dog has not been introduced to HRD/cadaver, please do not sign up for this class – sign up for the beginning land-based HRD class. Both the dog and handler should be comfortable in a boat.

In the beginner class, basic water recovery will be taught. The dog will be introduced to finding submerged cadaver materials, and work will be begun on establishing a reliable alert.

Lisa Higgins: Lisa has devoted herself to helping local, state, and federal agencies dealing with searches for missing persons, lost hunters, homicides, and article searches for evidence. She has responded to hundreds of searches from Alaska, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as New York to Puerto Rico with her canines through the years.

Lisa has been in law enforcement since 1978. She started with Pearl River P.D. as a mounted officer and has completed her thirty-year run with St. Tammany Sheriff's Office mounted as well as SAR canine. She was in the Special Operations Division from 1991 through 2008. Lisa also worked as a civilian K9 contractor with the FBI Victim recovery Team from 2005 through 2018 and remains a K9 asset on an as need basis.

Higgins is co-founder of LaSAR, is a certified NASAR SARTECH II, a Canine SAR Tech III, is a member of NSDA, and a member of NNCDS, serving on the advisory board. Lisa was the first to come up with the idea of having a canine search and rescue team in the state of Louisiana. In 1989, she brought a group of people together to discuss pursuing this idea. After that meeting, she and her daughter Troi-Marie and Dee Wild were the only ones to move forward to help form the first search and rescue dog team in the State of Louisiana, LaSAR. Lisa qualified as a "Subject Matter Expert" in canine body recovery in New Orleans Criminal Courts.

Higgins is a member of the Federal DMORT Region VI Team(retired), Louisiana and Texas State Mass Fatalities Taskforce(retired). She has co-authored several articles and a book chapter on water search and recovery.

Lisa is known for her kind, caring and generous spirit as an instructor and mentor to so many in the search and rescue community. She has taught us how to be patient and how to understand "Dog time."  

For all water classes, the dog must be at least at an intermediate Human Remains Detection (HRD) level on land. If your dog has not been introduced to HRD/cadaver, please do not sign up for this class – sign up for the beginning land-based HRD class. Both the dog and handler should be comfortable in a boat.

In the advanced class, you will be honing your water recovery skills, with varied problems presented for advanced dogs.

JEN HIRAKAWA: With over three decades of extensive experience in canine training, program management, and behavior, Jennifer Hirakawa is a seasoned professional in the field. After retiring from the US Army Military Police Corps in May 2012 with the rank of Master Sergeant (MSG) following 23 years of dedicated service, Jennifer embarked on a civilian career dedicated to fostering better human-canine bonds.

During her military tenure, Jennifer held various roles, including serving as a canine handler/trainer in patrol, narcotics, and explosives detection. Her deployments, spanning multiple short and long missions such as IFOR, SFOR, and OEF, showcased her commitment and expertise. Notably, she successfully challenged the German National Dog Trainers Exam, adding an international dimension to her qualifications.

As the proud owner of Kawa Farms K9 Training since 2012, Jennifer focuses on training dogs and their human companions, working with diverse breeds and temperaments. She conducts behavior consultations, teaches canine behavior in working dog programs, and specializes in training odor-detection dogs, dual-purpose canines, and service dogs. Operating from her training facility in Winterset, Iowa, Jennifer also travels to assess and work with operational K9 teams.

Currently, Jennifer is deeply involved in training K9s Moose in Human Remains Detection (HRD), concurrently preparing K9 Billie to take over from Moose upon retirement. Her expertise extends to wilderness HRD, Wilderness Live Find, Wilderness Live Find Scent Specific, and HRD in Water from a boat or shoreline, and K9 Mapping programs such as SARTOPO. Jennifer holds certifications in AERIE (HRD) and NNCDS (HRD Water – Shoreline and Boat) and serves as a private contractor handling Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD) and narcotics K9s.

Jennifer's dedication to professional development is evident through her memberships in prestigious organizations. As a member of the Alliance for Emergency Response Examiners (AERIE), she serves as an instructor and examiner in various search and rescue disciplines. In the National Network of Canine Detection Services (NNCDS), Jennifer contributes as an instructor and evaluator for land and water HRD.

Beyond her operational roles, Jennifer participates in the Academic Standards Board – Dogs and Sensors Committee, a vital initiative developing forensic science standards within an American National Standards Institute accredited framework. She also engages with organizations such as Canine Search and Recover Inc (CSAR), National Police Canine Association (NPCA), Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), American Kennel Club (AKC), and The International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants (IAABC).

Jennifer's commitment extends to her involvement in veteran and military organizations, including being a Life Member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled America Veterans (DAV), and the United States Army Military Police Regimental Association. Her diverse experiences and unwavering dedication make Jennifer Hirakawa a respected figure in the world of canine training and behavior. 

No. Classes are designed progressively across the entire week, so you will stay with the same group for the entire seminar. However, if you find yourself in too hard or too easy a class, we will try and accommodate a class change on the first day. This is not guaranteed.

Not sure if you are beginner or advanced? Email us, include your phone number, and we will try to answer your questions.

Not sure if you are beginner or advanced? Email us, include your phone number, and we will try to answer your questions.