By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Well-loved and familiar search and rescue K9 Kaya has unexpectedly died after a short, undetected health issue according to a social media post by the Oliver Osoyoos Search and Rescue (OOSAR).
“It is with profound sadness that we share that OOSAR has lost its K9 member, Kaya,” the OOSAR said in the post. “Kaya was well known to us all and a faithful guardian of our mountain. RIP good girl.”
“Up until her last hours, she was an energetic girl that not only loved to search but also was a loving companion to her handlers and family, Mike and Brenda Arychuk,” the post read.
The Arychuks said it appears that Kaya had a short, undetected health issue which is a testament to her strength and vibrancy. They expressed their thanks to Dr. Grant Mackenzie and the vet team at the Oliver Veterinary Hospital for their care and compassion.
Kaya was OOSAR’s first search dog, and in her career had several finds that helped bring closure and peace to others.
Kaya’s first search was in March 2021 when she and her handler Mike Arychuk were brought in to search for a hiker who became disoriented in the Mahoney Lake area southeast of Okanagan Falls.
The hiker was spotted by a helicopter but Arychuk was happy with her performance on her first official search as a certified canine under Emergency Management British Columbia.
“She was having fun and doing her job well,” he said. Kaya’s primary response area was the Okanagan Similkameen, but the OOSAR team also provides mutual aid outside the region if requested which saw Kaya travel further afield on a number of occasions.
The OOSAR recently added a new K9 team – search dog Niki and handler Diana Krauss – with responsibility for K9 searches now resting on their shoulders.
The pair were validated by the RCMP at the BC Search Dog Training Camp in Merritt in Oct. 2024. Okanagan-Similkameen now has two K9 teams available, with the other located in Kelowna.
The post concluded: “K9 Kaya is now off service’.
