New 501(c)(3) non-profit
enhancing public safety and emergency response capabilities by providing highly trained
Search and Rescue (SAR), Explosive Ordnance Detection (EOD) & Law Enforcement (LE)
K-9 partners to government & volunteer agencies - gratis Our mission: To safeguard communities and enhance emergency response through the ethical training,
responsible placement, and sustained support of
highly specialized Search and Rescue and
Law Enforcement K-9 teams, provided freely to agencies committed to public safety. Our Vision: To be a premier national resource for life-saving, certified working dogs, drastically increasing
the availability of high-level K-9 assets for detection, rescue, and security operations. Our Founder:
Gil Francis's deep connection to working dogs began early, working, walking and training dogs at
the age of eight -- laying the groundwork for his future canine endeavors and passion. While simultaneously building a successful career in hospitality and marketing in New Orleans, his vigor for community care and offering services was crystallized by the chaos following Hurricane Katrina. Volunteering intensely at the Louisiana SPCA, his unique skills of understanding canine behavior and their endless capabilities was quickly recognized by the Orléans Parish Sheriff's Department. He tapped into shaping a new program including training specialized Search and Rescue (SAR) dogs and handlers for complex water searches, including boat navigation and swimming. Upon relocating to New Jersey, Gil immediately engaged with the community, offering free training workshops through NBHA and volunteering at the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter to evaluate and socialize dogs. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gil took a lesser role in the company he founded to dedicate his full attention to establishing Sacred Lakes K9 (SLK9) to provide elite, mission- critical K9 units to emergency services across the region as well as maintaining a ready-to-deploy team comprising handlers and dogs specialized in arson, explosive, and firearm detection, as well as vital wildlife and urban Search and Rescue.