Would anyone like to share any resources that are useful in search-and-rescue?

The Coast Guard has an excellent SAR course, I'v taken it while I was a police officer with the harbor patrol. Not only SAR but also boating safety, rules and regulations for water craft. SAR experiences were on water/swimmers, boating and hunting accidents, shooting victums and rescue in hills and jungle.
Get some good training with CPR, first aid/beginning to advance, swimming, life saving, and depending where you are some mountain/repelling training.
Also, try your fire department, they might offer some courses. Trainers that teach subjects are sometimes required to perform training yearly to keep their trainers status, so they might do training for free, or at a low cost to keep their trainers status. If you live by large body's of water, you might want to get PATI or NAUI SCUBA certified, I have both, due to NAUI had more advance rescue in the water, like CPR.
If you like shooting, then thats fine, you will never know when you are on a rescue, then running into a wild animal that will try to eat you. Self defense will come in handy also, you need to be prepared for anything, SAR is not like the movies.
Note: It's your life, "Take Care of it." Don't be scared, "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed out there. Salute!

NASAR.

If you can find a course, take it.

Also check with local Sheriffs departments.

Try to obtain specialties like Wilderness first responder or an EMT class.

and learn Ropes and Knots!.

Basic map knowledge brush up and and understand UTM vs military maps.

oh yeah. K9 TC3. yup there is such a thing.


MSG Bo

The only SAR experience I have is training through the Fire Department; thankfully I have never had to put it in to practice. One of the Squad Leaders in my first unit, though, was in a Combat Engineer/SAR unit that went in to the rubble of the Pentagon after 9/11. He had quite a few stories from that!

I would think that your local Emergency Management department; fire/medical service; Red Cross, or possibly even the Humane Society would be good places to start. You might be able to find some information on the FEMA website as well.

Good luck on your endeavor & with your new pup!