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Deb Hurlburt

HRD Instructor

Deb Hurlburt lives in Driggs ID where she is the owner and an instructor at Dog Training in the Tetons. She is the current administrator of Idaho Search and Rescue Dogs. She owns and handles two male German shepherds, Blaize and Bannock. Bannock is certified with NAPWDA in Obedience, Cadaver and Tracking. He is also certified with a regional certifying agency, Tri-State-K9, in Cadaver Area, Shoreline, Urban Trailing and Wilderness Trailing. She also owns a retired female GSD, Kaya who was certified in Cadaver: Large Area, Crime Scene, Shoreline, Boat and Avalanche. Deb has always been passionate about teaching and inspiring others to reach their full potential through thoughtful guidance and instruction. Deb was raised in the Ozarks of MO where she had an intense love of the outdoors. Her childhood involved summers competing and enjoying canoeing, sailing, rescue, swimming and skills. Deb attended Saint Louis University majoring in Behavioral Psychology, Applied Philosophy and minoring in World Religions. During this time she discovered her love for skiing and in 1993 she became a member of The National Ski Patrol and volunteered at her local ski hill Hidden Valley. After college she guided commercial whitewater adventures on the Nantahala and Ocoee in the southeast. She moved to Idaho and guided the Snake River whitewater in Jackson and also guided hiking in and around the Tetons. In 1999 she married her husband Joe and they joined Teton County ID SAR where they expanded their skill set and became Swiftwater Tech Certified. Deb was hired as a professional ski patroller at Grand Targhee and she started helping out with their Avalanche Dog Program. Her passion for the job and love for dogs blossomed. And when her husband Joe certified his first dog Volkl, she was eager and excited to run support for him and the other handlers. She joined Wyoming K9 SAR in 2006 starting as a support member and then starting her own dog in 2008. Since this time she has worked many searches for local sheriffs’ departments, the National Parks, the FBI and The Center for Missing and Exploited Children as well as assisting in the location of historical graves for several organizations.