Nulo partner TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue) is one of the largest volunteer search-and-rescue organizations in the nation, deploying statewide at the request of law enforcement, public safety, and emergency management agencies. Their teams bring specialized capabilities to some of the most demanding conditions imaginable, like dense wilderness, swift waters, and disaster zones. And at the heart of their field operations is the K9 team—handlers and working dogs whose partnership makes both rescues and answers possible.
Meet The TEXSAR K9 Team
Every handler on the TEXSAR K9 team is a volunteer. They donate their time, their resources, and in many cases, years of their lives to train dogs capable of doing what most dogs never will. With close to 30 handlers across the state, the TEXSAR K9 team is one of the most dedicated in the nation. It takes drive on both ends of the leash, and Nulo is proud to fuel the canine half of that partnership. Below, we’re spotlighting just a few of the pairs behind the mission.
Stephanie & Eddie
Stephanie Schneider is a ground search team member and canine handler at TEXSAR. Her dog Eddie is an Australian cattle dog mix, dual-trained in locating survivors and human remains detection, making him one of the most versatile dogs on the team. She found him on Petfinder, drawn in by a single photo before she'd even made contact with his rescue.
"Eddie is incredibly resilient and incredibly committed," Stephanie says. "He will not stop if he sets his mind to something." When asked what Eddie has taught her, Stephanie doesn't hesitate: "Uncompromising joy. I like to overthink things, but with this dog, we're out in the woods, and nothing matters. Every day is the best day."
Teri, Hootie, & Fenris
Teri Callaway is the K9 Team Lead at TEXSAR. She handles two dogs: Hootie, a six-year-old border collie certified in human remains detection on land and water, and Fenris, a younger border collie with the same certification. Hootie came to Teri as a four-month-old who had been training as a sheep herder, but didn't particularly like sheep. Both found their calling as part of the TEXSAR team.
For Teri, the reward is in the relationship with her dogs and with the community she serves. "These dogs are just so smart," she says. "They anticipate my needs sometimes. That's always amazing to me." The bond built through years of training together is something she describes simply: "I really like that we are Texans serving Texans."
Tim & Pax
Tim Worthy is the Central Texas Division Lead and a canine handler who joined TEXSAR after retiring from a 21-year Army career. "I'd retired from the Army and needed to continue a mission," he says. That mission now runs on four legs — his dog Pax, just under two years old and certified in locating people lost in the field.
The two are still building their partnership, but are already inseparable. For Tim, the line between working dog and family dog doesn't really exist. "Because we're a team and we do these things for people — personally, I need him just as much as everybody else does."
For the dogs of TEXSAR, every deployment is a test of endurance, focus, and the foundation laid in training, and that foundation starts in the bowl. As Teri puts it, "these working dogs are athletes, and it's important that they have a strong foundation in their nutrition." That means high-quality calories from real ingredients, without the fillers that get in the way. Nulo's high-protein, low-carb nutrition gives working dogs the sustained energy they need to keep going when conditions are tough, and the stakes are high.
