Letter to the Editor

North Star thanks community

Sunday, June 19, 2011

To the Editor:

Last week, North Star K9 Training Association held its annual National Search and Rescue K9 Seminar in Brazil.

Thirty-two K9 teams from California, Texas, Florida, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia were in attendance.

They were trained by some of the top instructors in Search and Rescue who came together from across the USA for this event.

North Star was enormously pleased with the warm reception and hospitality that the community of Brazil extended to us during our weeklong training. Thank you the BFC Christian Camp for housing us and to LeeAnn at Page's IGA for providing a delicious meal for our Sunday evening kick off dinner.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Indiana DNR, Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area for letting our water dogs work their lakes and our trailing dogs work the land.

The park director of Forest Park in Brazil was welcoming and allowed our trailing K9's to work in the cool shade provided by beautiful Forest Park.

Danyel Moon of Brazil was the official seminar photographer. Danyel shot more than 1,500 photos of our dogs.

Seminar participants could often be found cooling off at the home base watching the continuous loop slide show of Danyel's outstanding photo exhibit of the dogs and handlers at work.

Other individuals who supported our seminar to whom we owe a big "thank you" are:

* Kevin Higgins at A+ Printing, who printed the seminar T-shirt,

* Jim Steen at Pike Lumber Company, for donating firewood, and

* Jim Skelton, at Skelton Tree Service, for donating firewood.

The people of Brazil were wonderful to us and we hope to make Brazil home to the North Star K9 Training Association annual seminar.

Maryln Allen Adams,

North Star K9 Training Association