Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue K9 MacGyver and his handler Rick Stein were honored with a Pup Harris Fellow (a.k.a. Paul Harris Fellow) recognition, Rotary’s highest honor.
MacGyver and Stein work side-by-side to find lost people. MacGyver, a 5-year-old Australian shepherd, is specifically trained off-lead to find live, and if necessary, deceased human scent.
Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue dogs are owned and trained by their handlers, who are volunteers and not paid for their work. They are on call 24/7 and can be deployed 365 days a year.
Joanne Schoenfeld honored MacGyver and Stein with a special Pup Harris Fellow for their critical search and rescue efforts during the Montecito debris flow incident earlier this year.
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
“MacGyver and his partner, Rick Stein, are only one of many Santa Barbara Search and Rescue teams in our county,” said Schoenfeld, a local real estate broker, past club president, and 23-year Rotarian.
“While I chose to honor them for their difficult work during the debris flow, they are hard at work all year long locating the missing in our area,” he said. “The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise is another force for good in our community and I am honored to be a part of their good work.”
For more information about Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue, visit www.sbcsar.net. For more about the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise visit https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2855.
— Karen Kawaguchi for Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise.