In her presentation at the Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement (SILIR) meeting, Dr. Erin Perry will discuss the work of canines and their human partners in searching disaster areas. She will focus on the challenges following the Champlain Towers building collapse in Florida.

Dr. Perry is an Associate Professor of Agriculture at SIUC. She has more than 19 years of experience with working canines and health issues related to deployment of canines in emergencies. She works with Missouri Task Force One and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She and canine partners have deployed to numerous disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, Joplin Tornado, Colorado Flooding, and Hurricane Harvey. Her research is relevant for family pets and service dogs, and extends to military situations.

The meeting, free and open to the public, will be held at Grace United Methodist Church at 220 N Tower Road in Carbondale. Social distancing will be observed; masks are optional. A social hour will begin at 9:30.