Kari was discovered in the apartment complex of Naomi Greenfield, after she noticed Kari, full of life and energy, in a neighbor’s yard. Naomi saw something special in Kari and believed she had untapped potential. She spoke to Kari’s family and learned how to evaluate Kari as a search dog …
The Fall Bark Alert magazine has arrived! Read about how we collaborate with shelters and rescues to find search dog recruits, catch up with a Lifetime Care pup turned dog sport competitor, find out what happens during a deployment, and more! Check out our digital version now!
In February 2009, SDF trainers Sharon Hanzelka and Kate Davern had some free time while visiting Las Vegas and decided to visit local animal shelters to look for search dog candidates. At The Animal Foundation (formerly Leid Animal Shelter), one of the largest shelters in the area, they split up …
Hurricane Ian made its way past Cuba, through central Florida, and up the East Coast of the United States over a period of nearly one week. Growing from a tropical storm into a deadly Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall on the western Florida coastline, Ian crept slowly …
On September 24, 2022, our training team officially passed the leashes of two incredible search dog graduates to their new handlers. Friends, family, and SDF staff gathered to celebrate these teams on the hard work and dedication that got them to this moment and the beginning of their careers …
In the summer of 2008, an SDF volunteer received word from a friend about a Labrador breeder in Central California who needed to place one of her puppies. The breeder had a reputation for producing high-drive field trial and duck hunting dogs – precisely the type of dogs who might …
Taylor was born at the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society in September 2010. Her litter was fostered by caring homes and returned to the shelter at eight weeks of age for adoption. Taylor was adopted but then surrendered to the Aberdeen Area Humane Society at nearly two years of age …
Baja California Task Force 3 (BC-TF3) members Fidel Gomez & Gemma and Luis Garcia & Montecito responded to a landslide in the Sanchez Taboada area of Tijuana. The canine teams were dispatched within ten minutes of the 911 call when it was reported that the landslide had collapsed a building …
Our very own SDF staff member, Mandy Tisdale, deployed with her search dog, Paul, to an abandoned commercial building fire in Oxnard on July 15, 2022. Upon arriving on the scene, firefighters rescued a homeless man from the roof of the building. Unsure if additional people had been inside when …
In June 2011, SDF canine recruiter Heidi Miller was traveling through California, stopping at shelters to see if they had any dogs that showed promise as search and rescue candidates. At the Central California SPCA in Fresno, Heidi noticed a “quiet, depressed-looking” purebred yellow Labrador named Noah alone in his …
