Sherri Hall : OSARC Founder, K9 Handler & Operations Manager

End of Watch

K9 Zula October 10, 2010 - October 30, 2024

Sherri has dedicated her entire life to working with animals, turning her lifelong passion into a fulfilling 30-year career. Over the years, she has successfully owned and operated several animal-related businesses, including municipal animal control and pound services, municipal and private goose/swan egg oiling programs, and Bed Bug detection K9 operations.

A graduate of the OSPCA Animal Cruelty course, Sherri is a committed advocate for animal welfare. She has also been a CKC-registered Golden Retriever breeder for more than three decades and remains active in a variety of dog sports.

In 2019, as she began transitioning into retirement, Sherri founded Ontario Search and Recovery Canines (OSARC) to fill what she recognized as a critical gap in recovery services for families of missing loved ones across Ontario. She has since become a certified K9 Handler, working with her dogs K9 Zula (Dutch Shepherd, Retired), K9 Talon (Malinois), K9 Leda (Swiss Shepherd), and K9 Kon (Swiss Shepherd) in Human Remains Detection.

Sherri holds certifications with United K9s, NNCDS, NOCSAR, and AWDA, and specializes in cold case and historical recoveries. She is currently training her fifth HRD partner, K9 Valor, another Swiss Shepherd.

You can learn more about Sherri’s work at NymeriaWorkingDogs.com or follow her updates on Facebook.

Debera Salo : Founding Member, K9 Handler, Flanker & Researcher

A retired Air Traffic Controller, Deb adopted her first dog, a rescue black lab named Ella. Deb joined OSARC in 2020 and Deb and Ella certified in HRD Land with Eastern States Working Dog Association (ESWDA) in 2021. Also in 2021 Deb purchased a yellow lab pup, K9 Rinnie. 

 K9 Rinnie is certified with the International Police Work Dog Association in Water Recovery, Land and Crime Scene, as well as Land certification with ESWDA.

Deb and K9 Rinnie travel extensively attending seminars and workshops for continued education in water recovery, Crime Scene, Grave Detecton and Historic burials. 

Suzy Olsen : (Western Canada Rep) K9 Handler & Flanker

 Suzy Olsen is a professional animal trainer, educator, FEMA Canine Search Specialist, SAR canine evaluator, team leader and owner of Trace Element Detection Solutions ™. She combines formal education, scientific research, field experience, and proven best practices to produce exceptional detection dogs while collaborating with other canine specialists in the field.

Suzy continues to develop her own skill set in a variety of areas including canine performance science, forensic investigation, olfaction research, Swiftwater and mountain rescue, USAR and incident command. She is committed to volunteer service and continues to build non-profit opportunities within her community. Suzy is currently studying at UPENN working on her MSC in animal training and welfare, and currently deploys on special projects, cold case investigations and missing person cases both in Canada and the USA. Her dogs are certified with NASAR and AWDA in human remains detection, land HRD water, and in tracking.

John Grima : Search Manager, Liaison Officer

John William GRIMA has over 50 years of experience in training and handling dogs for numerous profiles. He started training dogs for Obedience, Retriever Trials and Shutzhund as a young man. He served as a Police Officer for 25 years with Metropolitan Toronto Police, in Canada, where he implemented their Canine Unit and was both a handler and trainer.

After retiring in 1998 from the police department, John set out on his own, becoming a private trainer and handler in Patrol and Detection Dog profiles for Police, Security, Customs, Agriculture, Military, Search and Rescue and Blue Chip Companies, worldwide. He has Certified several dogs in SAR, HRD, Narcotics, Explosives and Police Work with NAPWDA, CPCA, USPCA, ESWDA and the British Home Office. Then in 2009 he worked for the US Marine Corp, Navy SEALS and Army Rangers, training dogs to find IEDS in Afghanistan and Iraq during the wars. In 2013 he came back to Canada and has been concentrating on Certifying dogs for HRD and SAR. He has certified in several FEMA, NIMS Search Manager Courses.

Brent Partland : (Eastern Canada Rep) K9 Handler, Flanker

Brent has over 24 years of dog handling experience. He has worked with many of the working dog breeds over his career in Live Find, Cadaver, Explosive, Firearms, Patrol and evidence dogs. Brent has worked for and in support of US Dept. of Defence, US State Dept., US Coast Guard, DEA and the RCMP. Brent is a High Threat Protection Specialist/Personal Security Detachment K9 Handler. He has been stationed in some of the most dangerous and adverse enviroments on the planet.