Sandy & Yara
Sandy Banthem joined the team in 2007 and became an Operational Flanker in 2008. In 2015 she became an Operational K9 Handler with her Air Scent dog, Sage. Sandy holds NASAR SARTECH I, SARTECH II, K9 SARTECH II Area Search, and K9 HRD Land IV certifications as well as IPWDA Crime Scene and Basic Land HRD Certifications. Sandy also has her Amateur Radio Technician license and is certified in Wilderness First Aid. Sandy is a Co-Director of Finance and previously served as the Director of Membership. Sandy lives in Fallston, Maryland with her husband and their three German Shepherds, Sage, Drago, and Yara.
Sage is a German Shepherd Dog who holds a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Certification, NASAR Canine SARTECH II Area Search certification, and is currently operational as a Wilderness Air Scent K9 . She loves spending time with her handler, Sandy, playing with her Frisbees, and ice cubes.
Yara is a German Shepherd Dog who is currently in training for Human Remains Detection and currently holds NASAR HRD IV Land Certification as well as IPWDA Crime Scene and Basic Land Certifications. Yara’s favorite things are spiky balls and torturing her big “sister”, Sage.