Dave Onderdonk purchased his first bloodhound in the winter of 1970 after seeing it listed for sale in the local paper.  A number of years earlier, he had vowed to get one when one of his children was missing for several hours.  The 12-week-old female black and tan puppy was named Boozer and was trained to search by Dave, his wife Hilda and his two daughters.

     Once Boozer was fully trained, Dave began showing up to volunteer their service wherever search parties were under way.  In January of 1974 Boozer and Dave made their first "big find" by assisting police in their search for a 59 year old diabetic who had been missing for 18 hours.

     From there, Boozer's reputation quickly spread and Dave was made a deputy in the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Department.  Their work continued and in February 1976 Dave, along with Hilda, formed Rennselaer County Search and Rescue Inc. as a non-profit organization.

     Dave and his successive bloodhounds -- Jigger, Mountain Dew, and Moonshine -- were active in the organization throughout their lives.   Hilda summed up their devotion to the organization and its purpose by saying, "Dave and I couldn't think of anything more rewarding than working with these lovely creatures that God designed for such a wonderful purpose".