Mary Ellen & Tank
Mary Ellen Grady joined the team in 2013. She is currently an Operational Flanker and an Operational K9 Handler with her K9s Tank and Echo. Mary Ellen holds NASAR SARTECH I, SARTECH II, K9 SARTECH II Area Search, NASAR K9 HRD Land IV, IPWDA HRD Water and IPWDA Basic Land certifications. In addition, Mary Ellen is an Amateur Radio Technician, is certified in Wilderness First Aid, and is an NRP Search Team Member. Mary Ellen lives in Anne Arundel County with her husband, two college-aged children, and their dogs Tank and Echo. Mary Ellen is employed as a Writer and Communications Strategist. In her spare time, she writes romantic suspense novels and enjoys spending time with her family.
Tank is a King Shepherd who was accepted into the Chesapeake Search Dogs Puppy Program in 2013. Tank holds a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Certification and NASAR Canine SARTECH II Area Search certification. Although Tank previously held NASAR HRD Land IV certification and IPWDA HRD water certifications, as he approaches retirement he is currently only operational as a Wilderness Air Scent K9. Tank enjoys long walks, cheese, belly rubs, and playing keep away with his tug toy.
Echo is a Border Collie who began training with the team in 2021 and achieved operational status in Human Remains Detection (HRD) with the team in 2022 Echo holds a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certification, as well as NASAR HRD IV, IPWDA HRD Water, and IPWDA HRD Basic land. When not working,