Sherman came to the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) in March of 2010 with the typical story of “Black Lab Syndrome” – a term used by people who work or volunteer in animal shelters. It describes the phenomenon in which, for some reason, black dogs, even purebred black Labrador Retrievers, are …
Labs and Friends Rescue in San Diego, CA has donated several canines to SDF’s training program over the years. In June of 2010 they called SDF about Stetson—a strong, solidly built Yellow Lab who passed SDF’s evaluations with flying colors and was ready to begin training right away! After being …
On June 28, 2019, we welcomed four new SDF trained Search Teams to join our national roster. Having passed the leash to the four search dogs to their new firefighter-handlers, these teams are now taking their first steps in their careers together, dedicated to serving the nation when disaster strikes. …
In late 2005, after receiving a letter from SDF volunteer Jeff Pepper introducing SDF to Homeward Bound Rescue and Sanctuary, their staff and volunteers kept a look out for canines with Search Dog potential. Weeks earlier, a Golden Retriever that Homeward Bound named Baxter was found wandering the streets of …
Firefighter Jason Jasgur of the Los Angeles Fire Department grew up surrounded by heroes—his uncle was a firefighter/engineer with Running Springs Fire Department in San Bernardino and his dad was a volunteer with Los Angeles County Search and Rescue. Jason was determined to become a first responder himself. Watching his …
Congratulations to the Canine Disaster Search Teams who achieved SUSAR Certification at the NTC! We are excited to announce that all three New York search teams that participated in the first-ever State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR) canine evaluation held at the National Training Center (NTC) passed the test! …
On May 18 and 19, SDF hosted a two-day intensive workshop at its National Training Center (NTC) for canine disaster search teams of all levels who traveled from all over California, Florida, New York, and Mexico. Using all 125-acres of the NTC, lead instructor Steve Swaney and SDF’s training …
April 6 to 7, Search Teams gathered at our National Training Center (NTC) for the second in a series of weekend training sessions designed specifically for SDF-trained teams, instructed by SDF trainers. Visiting from other parts of California, as well as Nebraska, Oklahoma and Utah, a dozen Canine Search …
Congratulations to the Canine Disaster Search Teams who achieved Certification in April! On April 13 and 14, Canine Disaster Search Teams traveled from all over the country to take their FEMA Certification Evaluation in Seattle, WA. Veteran SDF-trained Search Teams Cynthia Sato & Roxy (California Task Force 1), Mark Schroeder …
On Tuesday, April 2, urban search and rescue task forces from Fairfax, VA and Los Angeles, CA kicked off a joint four-day field training exercise across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. This training focused on deployment readiness for the teams, dubbed USA-1 and USA-2 when deployed internationally by the Office …
