K9 Team

When scent, time, and terrain matter

When someone goes missing in Maine's woods, or evidence disappears into water, brush, or snow, time matters. Terrain matters. And sometimes, nothing works like a nose that knows what it's looking for. 

The Maine Warden Service K9 Team travels across the state and beyond its borders to help bring missing people home and to protect Maine's natural resources through evidence recovery. These teams are made up of Game Wardens and their K9 partners, trained to work together in conditions where maps run out and daylight fades. 

The dogs live with their handlers. They train together. They work together. And when the call comes in, they go.

What the K9 Team Does 

Maine Warden Service K9s are trained in multiple disciplines, allowing them to adapt quickly to changing conditions in the field. 

• Tracking — Following the trail of a person by using that person's individual scent
• Evidence — Location of items containing human scent, gun powder residue, or any other trained scent that may be used to solve a fish and game case
• Hasty air scent search — Using the air/wind to follow human scent and locate injured and lost people along natural barriers such as trails, wood lines, ditches, streams, and roads
• Human Remains — Detecting human remains when a search has been ongoing for a period of time at which the person is probably deceased

Meet the Team

Each handler works side by side with a trusted K9 partner. When they are not working, these dogs are doing regular dog things. Chasing balls. Swimming. Looking for treats. They live with their handlers and remain part of the family even after retirement.

Training and Readiness 

Before certification, K9 teams complete an intensive training program through the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Once certified, they continue training year-round, both individually and as a unit, to maintain proficiency across all disciplines. 

Much of this training is scenario-based, designed to reflect the unpredictable conditions K9 teams face in real searches. The goal is simple. Be ready when the call comes in.

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