Oxford EMS launches new volunteer K9 team to enhance search and rescue efforts

OXFORD, Conn. — When a person goes missing in Oxford’s dense woods or along its waterways, time can be critical.

Now, a new volunteer K9 search and rescue team is ready to respond. A team of ten volunteer dogs and handlers is working together to find the injured or missing.

For these volunteers, the moment a collar goes on, work begins. “No saying hi when it’s time to put my collar on and go to work,” joked handler Celeste Robitaille as she got her dog Delta ready for the day.

Each dog in the ten-member team specializes in a specific type of detection, from locating human remains to finding live persons. The training is rigorous, modeled on police K9 standards, and designed to make each canine a reliable partner in critical situations.

Robitaille, a full-time police officer with Beacon Falls PD, has spent 14 years working with search-and-rescue dogs. She says the bond between the community of handlers is unmistakable. “We’ve been doing this for fourteen years now. I can’t explain how happy we all are to work together,” she said.

Oxford’s terrain makes such a team especially important. Dense forests, rivers, and recreational areas can turn a routine search into a race against time.

“Living in Oxford, we are in a very rural, very wooded area with lots of recreational areas,” said Oxford EMS Chief Seth Poston.

Chief Poston highlighted the community impact of the K9 division. “It seems a bit cliché sometimes, but every second does count, so the faster we can provide a positive outcome to the solution or situation, the better,” he said.

The team is on-call to assist all local departments, offering specialized skills that can make a difference in emergencies. With summer approaching and outdoor activity on the rise, the timing couldn’t be better for these canine responders.

Residents interested in volunteering, donating, or learning more about the Oxford EMS team can click here.

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