Melissa Burns has been a dedicated member of MNK9SS since 2017 and brings her professional background in public safety to the team. She has focused her efforts on training and certifying her canine partners for deployment operations. Over the years, she has gained valuable experience in search environments ranging from rubble piles to wide-area searches, building both her skillset and her dogs’ abilities.

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Melissa’s primary partner, K9 Royal, a driven Belgian Malinois, achieved CST-CE, Type I in HR, through FEMA/SUSAR, and has successfully recertified multiple times throughout their career. Together, Melissa and Royal have become a trusted and reliable team, known for their focus, precision, and ability to perform in high-pressure environments. 

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In addition to Royal, Melissa is also training K9 Rogue, another Belgian Malinois, for HR. Rogue, purchased from McDonough K9, is already demonstrating strong drive and promise as a future asset to the team.

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​Through her work with Royal and Rogue, Melissa contributes to the readiness of MNK9SS by developing skilled canine partners that can meet the challenges of search and rescue. Her ongoing efforts ensure that her dogs are prepared to respond when called upon, whether in training or real-world operations.