Trailing Instructors

 Melanie Martin is the Co-founder of the Delta Elite K9 SAR team and Captain of the Trailing Division. She is also a member of the Arkansas Alliance of Bloodhound Search Specialists and the Ark-La-Tex K9 SAR teams.  Melanie has been involved in numerous searches in several states for the past 10 years, working with Federal, State and Local agencies.  She has assisted in all types of cases for the missing and those involved in criminal activity.  She has 3 Bloodhounds which are presently active for duty. Melanie loves working with those who are either beginning as handlers or who are starting puppies/young dogs in the area of Trailing and believes that success comes from building a strong foundation with both. 

 Shay Cook grew up with hunting dogs at home. This ingrained a love for working dogs at a young age. In 1986 she started working at Saratoga School for Dogs. This passion continued with Schutzhund and Guide dogs for the Blind in the 1990s, and landing her feet in SAR in 1995. She has certified 5 dogs in different disciplines including Area/Wilderness, HRD, Trailing and Disaster. She also has titled dogs in AKC in Rally, Tracking, Herding and Obedience. She currently is on 5 teams including CARDA, Yosemite, Oakland Task Force 4, Marin Sheriff and Alameda Sheriff. In her day job she is the Assistant Director of the IACUC at UC Davis overseeing compliance with research, teaching and testing projects involving animals. 

Police and Military K9 instructor specializing in detection, trailing/tracking, working dog obedience/behavior, and general search dog deployment.

• GAK9 Military/Police K9 Trainer
• K9 Medic HQ Instructor
• Military Fitness Specialist
• Canine Search Specialist for Florida Task Force 6.

Sinead began K9 training in the law enforcement dog arena over 20 years ago. Her passion truly started with detection and trailing/tracking. Sinead’s specialty is the various forms of detection work that she has studied under many masters in this discipline.

Several years ago Sinead acquired her own working dog specifically for narcotics detection work but added a variety of skills over time ultimately producing a good example of a Multi-Purpose Canine.

Sinead travels throughout the United States teaching detection, K9 Medic first aid classes, and trailing/tracking to a variety of agencies. When her teaching day is over, she stays very busy working Magnus Ares in a professional narcotics detection role.

Florida Task Force 6 has Sinead as one of their Canine Search Specialists. She and Magnus were deployed for the Champlain Towers Collapse at Surfside.

Good Morning America, News Nation, NBC, CBS, ABC, BBC, ESPN2, American Working Dog Magazine, Working Dog Magazine, Unidad K9 Magazine, American Kennel Club, and The New Yorker Magazine have all featured Sinead on various contemporary pieces revolving around dog training and deployment. Magnus and Sinead were also on season 2 of America’s Top Dog. The team received the Keys to the city of Estero, FL for honorable assistance during the Surfside Disaster, recognized by Lee County Commissioner for their efforts at Surfside, and recipient of the 2021 AKC Humane Fund Award for Canine Excellence (ACE).

Sinead has competed in the Working Dog Olympics in Brazil representing USA returning, placing 4th overall and 2nd place in Narcotics Exterior. She has won several awards from America Working Dog Olympics as well.

Passion for the art of odor and working dogs is Sinead’s nom de guerre, all while combining physical fitness through specialized training techniques for humans and dogs alike.

 Kim Burnett is a founding member of the Arkansas Alliance of Bloodhound Search Specialists in 2005 and is currently the President and a K-9 handler for the team.  Kim began working as a backup member/flanker to other handlers in 1993.  In December 1996, she began handling her own bloodhound.  She has been a member of the Pope County (AR) Office of Emergency Management Search and Rescue Unit since 2001, a member of the 102nd Squadron in the Arkansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol from 2010 thru 2020, and a member of the Johnson County Department of Emergency Management Search and Rescue team since 2014.   Kim currently works as a full-time accountant/CPA at a local CPA firm in Russellville, Arkansas and became a partner in the firm as of January, 2022.  She is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Payroll Specialists (CPS), and Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB).  Kim holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Arkansas Tech University, a Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, and a Bachelor's in Accounting from Arkansas Tech University.  Kim also has held her Private Pilot certificate since 1998 and she and her husband own a Piper PA-30.  She also completed her FAA UAS Remote Pilot Part 107 license in 2022.  In 2002, she completed a First Responder course and in 2003 completed the Part Time II law
enforcement training course.  Kim has her SARTech II certificate from the National Association of Search and Rescue which includes Wilderness First Aid and CPR certifications.  Kim worked as a veterinary technician for 8 years in Clarksville, Arkansas and continues to work with several local veterinarians to stay current on emergency K-9 care.  She has also taught individual obedience classes since 1990 and been an AKC CGC (Canine Good citizen) evaluator. 

 Kevin’s career as an emergency responder led to his passion as a K-9 trailing handler and trainer. For 27 years, Kevin served as an advanced emergency medical technician, firefighter, and firefighter instructor in the Benton, LA Fire Department. In 2008, Kevin began working with K-9s and became a member of both the Shreveport Fire Department K-9 and Ark-LA-Tex K-9 Search and Rescue Teams. Kevin has earned certifications from NOCDS, US Man Trailing, and AMPWADA and in 2017, began instructing for US Man Trailing. Upon retirement from the Fire Department in 2021, Kevin continued as a K-9 handler and trainer while also serving as a part-time Safety Officer at the LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport and Reserve Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Deputy. Kevin has been an instructor at multiple seminars and training events throughout the county and is currently training his fourth K-9. Although he owns Bloodhounds, Kevin has learned to read most breeds. Kevin lives in Stonewall, LA with his wife and two sons and continues to assist in K-9 search and rescue operations with local, state, and federal agencies throughout Louisiana and Texas.

“I am grateful and fortunate for the opportunity to teach and pass on what has been taught to me.”   

Corbin is a K9 Handler and Instructor for East Texas Search and Rescue and United States Mantrailing Association. Corbin has worked major cases of Federal escapees, homicides and various lost and missing persons. Working with law enforcement at National, state and Local levels. Corbin has worked bloodhounds for 25 years. Corbin has taught over 100 mantrailing K-9 all-breed seminars across the nation.

Jamie is a K9 Handler and Instructor for East Texas Search and Rescue and United States Mantrailing Association. Jamie has worked major cases of Federal escapees, homicides and various lost and missing persons. Working with law enforcement at National, State and Local levels. Jamie has worked bloodhounds for 26 years. Jamie has taught mantrailing K-9 all-breed seminars across the nation.