NEAR ULM — The Central Montana K-9 Unit may only be a few months old, but they're already making a name for themselves – one paw print at a time.
The organization currently has three handlers with dogs that specialize in a range of search operations, from live tracking to cadaver recovery.
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Formed in March 2025, the organization specializes in a range of operations from live tracking to cadaver recovery. This weekend, they stepped out into the community, holding a demonstration near Ulm to show their highly trained dog, and the critical work they do behind the scenes.
Each K-9 is proficient in odor detection, indication, and alert. Each team is nationally certified with a third-party evaluator and organization. The work they do is essential in speeding up searches and increasing the chances of a search and rescue.
“These dogs love to work, and each one has their job,” said one of the handlers, David Sidle. “They’re trained to find missing persons, detect human remains, and help in active investigations. We want people to know we’re here to help.”
The organization formed after another independent canine team disbanded due to members retiring. With canine teams in western and southern portions of the state, they saw a gap that needed to be filled in central Montana.
“We are able to deploy to any agency, we just have to be requested by the authority with the active search,” Sidle explained. “That is our goal, to spread awareness of our team and try to deploy and work with agencies a little bit more.”
The unit is already contributing to real cases across the region such as in Browning and possibly Billings coming up. With currently three handlers and around four dogs, Central Montana K-9 say that they hope to continue to grow.
Sidle added, “We’re actively looking to expand our organization so if anyone is interested in helping as a searcher, you don’t have a dog yet or maybe you want to get a dog later on, we can help with that.”
The organization aims to grow and has several ways for the public to get involved; click here to visit the website.
