**Shirley Hammond, K9 Search and Rescue Pioneer and CARDA Co-Founder, Passes Away**

Shirley Hammond, K9 Search and Rescue Pioneer and CARDA Co-Founder, Passes Away

It is with heavy hearts and profound respect that we share the passing of Shirley Hammond, a pioneering leader in the field of K9 Search and Rescue (SAR) and a founding member of the California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA). Her remarkable life of service, compassion, and dedication to saving others has left an enduring legacy in California and beyond.

🐾 A Lifelong Commitment to Service

Shirley Hammond’s journey into the world of Search and Rescue began decades ago, during a time when few women—and even fewer civilians—were participating in organized SAR efforts. Her vision, determination, and love for dogs led her to help establish CARDA in the 1970s, now recognized as one of the premier volunteer SAR K9 organizations in the nation.

Through tireless hours of training, field deployments, and mentoring, Shirley worked alongside her beloved canine partners to search for missing persons in some of the most challenging environments imaginable. Her work spanned wilderness areas, natural disasters, urban searches, and high-stakes rescue missions—all with one purpose: bringing closure and hope to families in crisis.

🦮 A Foundational Figure in CARDA

As one of CARDA’s founding members, Shirley played a crucial role in shaping the organization’s mission, values, and training standards. Her dedication helped establish CARDA’s reputation for professionalism, compassion, and effectiveness. Shirley was more than a handler—she was a mentor, a leader, and a beloved figure within the tight-knit SAR community.

She trained countless K9 handlers, offered guidance in critical deployments, and served on leadership teams that charted CARDA’s course through decades of evolution and service. Her fingerprints are on every successful mission and every team that carries forward CARDA’s legacy.

💡 An Inspiring Educator and Advocate

Shirley was known for her relentless curiosity and generosity in sharing knowledge. She held seminars, trained SAR teams across California, and promoted the integration of scent-specific tracking, human remains detection, and disaster search into mainstream SAR protocols. She believed deeply in the bond between human and dog and treated training as both science and art.

Her efforts didn’t stop with CARDA. Shirley advocated for improved SAR coordination between agencies, volunteered with emergency management efforts, and participated in public education programs to raise awareness about the vital role of search dogs.

❤️ A Legacy of Compassion and Courage

Shirley’s colleagues remember her not just as a brilliant SAR operator, but as someone with a heart as vast as the wilderness she searched. She was patient with newcomers, encouraging in the face of challenge, and always ready to lend her time, knowledge, and support.

Despite the emotional toll of SAR work, Shirley carried herself with grace. Families she helped never forgot her kindness, and her fellow handlers found strength in her quiet leadership.

📍 Remembering Shirley

Shirley Hammond’s impact can be measured not only by the lives she helped save, but also by the generation of SAR professionals she trained, the standards she helped set, and the organization she helped build from the ground up. CARDA and the entire SAR community have lost one of their most treasured voices.

Plans for a celebration of life and memorial service will be shared in the coming weeks. Fellow SAR teams, law enforcement agencies, and members of the public who knew Shirley are encouraged to participate and pay tribute to a life devoted to selfless service.

🌿 Carrying Her Legacy Forward

Shirley Hammond’s work will continue through the hundreds of handlers and K9 teams she mentored. Her example will inspire future volunteers, and her values will live on in every mission CARDA undertakes.

To honor Shirley’s memory, donations may be made to CARDA, supporting the next generation of K9 teams that will walk the trails she once did—guided by purpose, empathy, and courage.