Indiana Search and Response Team
Jan and
HRD K-9 Curse
Jan Harkner-Abbs
CEO/Chief Training Officer
A dog trainer since the late 1960s, Jan began training in Search and Rescue in 1993. In 1997, she began her career as a volunteer firefighter, rescue diver, safety officer and emergency medical technician. Through all these areas, Jan brings a wide variety of skills and experience to ISART.
She trained and certified two dogs for FEMA as a member of IN TF-1, served as the Chief of Training for the Orange Township/Rome City Fire Department, and worked as an advanced EMT. She has run search dogs for Northern Indiana Search and Rescue, Orange Twp. Fire Department, and now Indiana Search and Response Team and IDHS District 3 Task Force K-9 Team. She is also a National Association of Search and Rescue SAR Tech II Lead Instructor/Evaluator.
Jan trains dogs in the SAR disciplines of wilderness air scent/live-find, disaster, human remains detection and trailing. Her current dogs are Rock (human remains detection), Jin (live-find) and Indi (human remains detection-in training). She has also trained and handled an accelerant K-9 in the past.
Retired now, Jan trained a variety of pet dogs, sport dogs and working dogs for decades.
She and her husband, Jim, live in rural Noble County.