Jen ST

Jen Skiver Thompson (Jen ST) is a senior trailing dog handler with King County Search Dogs (KCSD), where she serves as a mentor, certification evaluator, and operations leader. For more than 10 years, she has responded to missing person searches throughout Washington State in support of the King County Sheriff's Office, working trails across urban, suburban, and wilderness environments, with particular experience in urban and suburban search profiles.

She is currently working her second trailing dog, with whom she holds national certification through Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States (SARDUS) and unit certification through KCSD.

Throughout her Search and Rescue career, Jen has actively pursued opportunities to mentor handlers, evaluate teams, and grow as an instructor. As a trailing evaluator for SARDUS and through other instructional and leadership roles, she has contributed to the development and evaluation of trailing teams at both the regional and national levels. Her teaching philosophy is shaped by years of field experience, ongoing study, and a commitment to helping handlers develop the observation and decision-making skills needed to better understand their dogs.

In addition to her Search and Rescue work, Jen has spent more than 12 years as a professional dog trainer, certified as a CPDT-KA, teaching both dogs and the people who work with them. Her approach combines practical field experience, learning theory, and a deep interest in how dogs acquire, process, and communicate information.

Jen holds a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Washington and has a background in higher education, where she taught and mentored students in the biological sciences. Today, she brings together her experience in science, education, and operational trailing to help handlers build stronger partnerships with their dogs and make more confident, evidence-based decisions in the field.