K9 Search and Rescue dogs show off during Mt. Philo Farm demonstration

Published on May 12, 2026

In the back pavilion at Mt. Philo Farm, trained dogs ran down mock targets and raced by dozens of onlookers in a demonstration by New England K-9 Search and Rescue on April 11. Several handlers showed off their dogs’ scent-seeking skills and search and rescue services that aid towns across Vermont and New Hampshire.

New England K9 Search and Rescue helps locate missing persons in wooded and rural areas with trained air-scent dogs. The organization is funded with the help of donations and grants and largely functions via volunteer work.

The president of New England K9, Daniel Lampignano, said that the dogs are trained to be non-scent discriminatory and will be led to any human scent they do not recognize as a handler or searcher. They sniff through the air, and the handlers do not put them on a leash during the searches.

The organization has 44 years of searching experience and more than 1,100 searches under their belt. The team receives roughly 50 calls a year and is equipped to handle many different cases, Lampignano said.

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