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Hometown Hero When Wilma Melville, of Ojai. Calif, (pop. 7,862). retired as a physical education teacher in 198<S, site created a to do" list that included: “Learn to train a dog to do something significant. "As a youngster 1 always had a dog, and 1 would train them to sit, stay and come," says Mel ville, 72. But I wanted to do more. So Melville began disaster search and rescue canine training, which involves a handler giving a jm- R xol i9U» Elvis Presley 25th Anniversary Stamp Collection - $2 Get a memorable Elvis Presley Commemorative Stamp Collec tion for just S 2. Issued on the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, this mint stamp collection chronicles Elvis' legendary career - from his early days at Sun Records to his sold-out shows in Las Vegas. Order today and you'll also receive special collector's informa tion and other interesting offers on L Training Rescue Teams dog signals to sniff out a live person trapped under rubble. Alter three years of training once a month with local handlers in Southern California, Melville realized she and her dog were not making progress, however. “1 knew' (the training) was being badly taught because 1 was a teacher." Melville says. Determined, she began lessons with profes sional dog trainer Pluis Davern in Gilroy, Calif, (pop. 11,464). Within a year and a halt, site and her black Labrador, Murphy, passed the Federal Emer- approval. Limit one set. Your satis faction is guaranteed. I 10 Elvis Preslev Stamps M'Y es! Send me 10 Elvis Preslev stamps. Enclosed is S 2. Vlv satisfaction is guaranteed. Limit one set. FREE DELI VERY GIARA STEED. Name Address City/State/Zip Please send payment with coupon to: Mystic Stamp Company. Dept. I P 143 V7IMI Mill Street. Camden. \V 13316-6109 I t 11 by LEAH INGRAM Photos by Chris Cantk Search Dog founder Wilma Melville with one of her prized pupils genev Management Agency (FEMA) certification test tor search and rescue dogs and joined a disaster response team, the Southern California FEMA Task Force. On April 9. 1995, FEMA deployed Mel ville and Murphy to Oklahoma Citv to aid in recovery efforts following the bombing ot the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Melville wits startled to see other task forces arriving without rescue dogs and to realize Murphy was one of only 15 FEMA-certified dogs in the country. "If everybody is getting trained the way I had been trained originally," site recalls saying, "its no wonder there .ire so few certified dogs." Within months, Melville founded the National Disaster Search Dog Foun dation to train more search and rescue canine teams. In that tirst year, she put 544,000 of her own money into launch ing the foundation. By 199". the founda- tion graduated its first class—three Sacramento, Calif., firefight ers. "I had already decided that I needed to work with firefighters," she savs. They are the first on a scene ot disaster, and they have the time to train." Today, the foundation is funded through private donations and picks up the SIO.OOO tab for each students training. Nearly .ill students are firefighters, and classes are grouped togedier based on geography. The foundation generally l<x>ks for dogs at animal shelters, then sends the dogs Dusty, of the Sacramento (Calif.) Fire Department, picks up a scent. k. - l w p* Page 4 • www.americanprofile.com ■PHKudH f dm. vlt jMrjjjßßra * ■* MCHKtv, Florida firefighter Mike Conners with Hobbes