About the Author:

Robert D. “Bob” Calkins has been a search and rescue dog handler in Kitsap County, Washington, for more than a dozen years. He currently searches with K9 Ruger, a four year old Golden Retriever. He and his K9 partners have responded to everything from routine missing person cases, to homicides, to the horrific landslide that in 2014 swept over homes in the tiny community of Oso, Washington.

He is the author of the Sierra the Search Dog series of books for children and adults.

About the Real Sierra

Sierra was Bob’s first search dog, a Golden Retriever with the well-known “Golden smile” and a natural ability to find people who’d gotten lost. She liked nothing better than running through the woods hoping to pick up the scent of a missing person. Her paycheck was a simple tennis ball, and a scratch on the head. She worked with Bob for five years, responding to many missing person searches in and around western Washington.

Bob’s Current Search Dog: K9 Ruger

K9 Ruger is a four year old Golden Retriever who certified as a “Wilderness Air Scent” dog in April 2015. Ruger searches for live subjects in the woods or wilderness, and is authorized to respond anywhere in Washington State. Next to searching, Ruger’s favorite activity is playing in the water. Any water. From mud puddle to mountain stream, if it’s water you’ll find Ruger hip deep in it.

In Memoriam: K9 Magnum

Bob and K9 Magnum searched together for most of Magnum’s ten years on earth. In April 2015 Magnum was diagnosed with a cancer that tends to strike Golden Retrievers. We miss him terribly.