Susan Bulanda was first recognized as an accomplished dog trainer in 1963. During her career, she has worked with many dogs in various fields. She is recognized worldwide as an expert in canine search-and-rescue and as an animal behavior consultant specializing in dogs and cats. She served as the vice-president and dog chair person with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. 

She is a founding member of the National Search Dog Alliance, and has formed and run two canine search-and-rescue units. She was one of three judges selected to judge England’s first and second international Canine SAR competitions. 

Susan is a retired senior conformation judge for the United Kennel Club, and has shown a variety of breeds in the conformation ring. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in Education. She is a certified teacher for two states.  She was an adjunct professor at Kutztown University and at Carroll Community College where she developed two programs: the Canine Training and Management Program, Level I for students who want to become dog trainers; and Level II for students who want to begin their studies as a canine behavior consultant. 

Her website and blog are: www.sbulanda.com and www.sbulandablog.com.

In the corporate world, Susan worked as a systems analyst for engineering firms, specializing in material control and critical methodologies.

Susan is an award-winning author, has lectured worldwide, and has written hundreds of articles as well as the following books:

Military Dogs of WWII. Non-fiction chronicling the military dogs as well as the civil service dogs used in London to find people buried in bombed buildings and the mascots.

K9 Search and Rescue Troubleshooting: Practical Solutions to Common Search-Dog Training Problems. Non-fiction, dog training.

Soldiers in Fur and Feathers: The Animals That Served in WWI – Allied Forces. A unique, collection of accounts about many different animals that served in WWI. There are many rare photos. 2012: Second Place Winner Non-Fiction, National League of American Pen Women; Finalist for the Alliance of Purebred Dog Writers Arthur Award, Certificate of Excellence for the Cat Writers Association of America. 

Faithful Friends: Holocaust Survivors Stories of the Pets Who Gave Them Comfort, Suffered Alongside Them and Waited For Their Return. The only book written about the animals of the Holocaust victims, recording a part of history that has been overlooked. Dog Writers Association of America, Maxwell Award, 2012. Certificate of Excellence Cat Writers Association, 2012; National League of American Pen Woman 2^nd place non-fiction, 2012. 

God’s Creatures: A Biblical View of Animals. Explains the role that animals play in the Bible and how God uses them. It explores the nature of animals and miracles that involve them.  

Boston Terriers. A book about Boston Terriers. First Place Maxwell Award for the Dog Writers Association of America, 2002.

Ready: The Training of the Search and Rescue Dog. Adopted worldwide as the training book for SAR dogs.  First place for the National League of American Pen Woman’s biannual contest, 1996. Also nominated best book of the year, 1994 Dog Writers Association.

Ready to Serve, Ready to Save: Strategies of Real Life Search and Rescue Missions. Actual search and rescue missions giving the reader inside information about how searches work. It is useful as a tabletop training exercise for SAR units.  Award winner for the National League of American Pen Women contest, 2000.

Scenting on the Wind: Scent Work for Hunting Dogs. Helps the hunting enthusiast understand how weather, wind and terrain features affect scent. It is a great aid for people who compete in field trials or who do any kind of scent work with dogs.