Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies for Real-Life Search & Rescue Missions

There are so many tangents to examine before purchasing a dog and training him as a puppy for SAR that I wanted to read about search and rescue missions, without any exaggerations or any glorified accounts, to determine if I had what it takes to get involved in such an undertaking.

I was concerned about some of the reviews, which stated that the book was basically reports of specific missions, because I felt that it would be very boring.

I am so pleased that I ordered this book because I have found the reports to be so honest and interesting. They are anything but dull!

This book takes such a realistic approach to entering search and rescue work. It is such a commitment and you have to often drop everything (even if you have theatre tickets or it is your child's birthday party, etc.) if you are called out with your dog. Many times the searches do not result in finding ANYTHING and much of your time is spent simply training and practicing with your dog.

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save!" has provided an honest, factual look into search and rescue work. An excellent book!


Learn from the successes & failures of SAR dog handlers   November 6, 2001
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

One of the best ways to learn are from the true life-stories of other people. Ready to Serve - Ready to Save provides just that vehicle to SAR dog handlers and mission coordinators. It is not unusual to leave mission base after a particularly long and difficult search, mentally recounting all the shoulda, coulda, wouldas. I am grateful that Susan has invested the time and effort to help rescuers learn from the experiences of others who have been there. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in the exhilerating life of search and rescue.


Not for everyone. Slow reading, but a must for SAR members.   January 15, 2001
Paul Duer (Placerville, CA, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Books about Search and Rescue, and those of us who do it, are rare. A non-fiction book with stories of real-life missions is too good to resist.

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" by Susan Bulanda contains over two dozen authentic SAR missions from all over the United States, and even beyond. Susan presents stories from seemingly every kind of mission - mountains, deserts, cities, snow and heat, kids and oldsters, people who wanted to be found, and people who didn't. All possible outcomes are here too, so not every story has a happy ending.

However, "Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" is not your typical true life adventure book. It's simultaneously less and more. For starters, Susan didn't really write it. Rather, she solicited mission reports, maps, and pictures from other searchers and collected them in a book. This format makes it hard to read at times (not everyone writes well) but the personal details have a way of drawing you in. When you read about someone longing to go search while a prisoner of their day job, or feeling that rush when the subject is found alive, you are bound to think, "Boy, do I ever know what you mean!"

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" is a paradox in other ways. It limits itself to reports from SAR managers and dog handlers - no foot searchers, OHV'ers, mounted riders or other disciplines. Yet the writers are seasoned and experienced, and there's a lot of sagacity packed into 238 pages. Every incident includes a "Search Tips" section, and these alone are worth the price of the book. (Example: "Always ask if the subject is afraid of animals, especially dogs. I thought the rifle was just for rabbits.")

In fact, learning from others' experiences is undoubtedly the highest and best use for this remarkable book. SAR teams rarely share what they've learned, thanks to our volunteer status and County focus. "Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" would be valuable if all it did was breach that great divide a bit. But add the personal empathy this book generates, and it's a must. If you're serious about SAR, especially if you're a SAR manager or dog handler, add this to your library.


Not for everyone. Slow going, but a must for SAR   January 15, 2001
Paul Duer (Placerville, CA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Books about Search and Rescue, and those of us who do it, are rare. A non-fiction book with stories of real-life missions is too good to resist.

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" by Susan Bulanda contains over two dozen authentic SAR missions from all over the United States, and even beyond. Susan presents stories from seemingly every kind of mission - mountains, deserts, cities, snow and heat, kids and oldsters, people who wanted to be found, and people who didn't. All possible outcomes are here too, so not every story has a happy ending.

However, "Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" is not your typical true life adventure book. It's simultaneously less and more. For starters, Susan didn't really write it. Rather, she solicited mission reports, maps, and pictures from other searchers and collected them in a book. This format makes it hard to read at times (not everyone writes well) but the personal details have a way of drawing you in. When you read about someone longing to go search while a prisoner of their day job, or feeling that rush when the subject is found alive, you are bound to think, "Boy, do I ever know what you mean!"

"Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" is a paradox in other ways. It limits itself to reports from SAR managers and dog handlers - no foot searchers, OHV'ers, mounted riders or other disciplines. Yet the writers are seasoned and experienced, and there's a lot of sagacity packed into 238 pages. Every incident includes a "Search Tips" section, and these alone are worth the price of the book. (Example: "Always ask if the subject is afraid of animals, especially dogs. I thought the rifle was just for rabbits.")

In fact, learning from others' experiences is undoubtedly the highest and best use for this remarkable book. SAR teams rarely share what they've learned, thanks to our volunteer status and County focus. "Ready to Serve, Ready to Save" would be valuable if all it did was breach that great divide a bit. But add the personal empathy this book generates, and it's a must. If you're serious about SAR, especially if you're a SAR manager or dog handler, add this to your library.


Solid SAR Stories   March 25, 2000
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This was a great book, and very helpful to those just getting started in SAR. However, I wish I had known it was SO dog specific before I bought it. None of the reviews or the synopsis of the book mentioned its focus on SAR dogs. Again, a great book, but beware if you are not looking for search dog stories...