Amber is from a private donor in nearby Fillmore, California. This gorgeous and sweet-natured Belgian Malinois has been stealing the hearts of trainers and staff alike. She is learning to connect a strong bark alert with the reward of a fire hose tug toy – one of her favorites! Amber …
It’s not a matter of if, but when the next natural or man-made disaster will occur. To stay prepared, Canine Disaster Search Teams must constantly hone their skills through rigorous training exercises – and what better place to do that than SDF’s National Training Center, specifically designed for Disaster Search …
The night of December 4, 2017, will forever be remembered at SDF as the night that we narrowly escaped disaster at our new home, the National Training Center (NTC), when the Thomas Fire raged through our canyon. Though we evacuated all dogs and staff in plenty of time and our main …
Prior to arriving at our doors, this lovable Lab mix had been part of a court case and was in protective custody while his owner was on trial for criminal charges. When the owner received a life-term prison sentence, Manny was released from custody and sent to Haven Humane Society …
Among the many success stories of High Sierra Animal Rescue in Portola, California is the tale of Zoey, an energetic Border Collie who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to become a National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Search Dog. Born in July of 2003, Zoey’s owner abandoned her when she was only …
Congratulations to all of the Canine Disaster Search Teams who recently achieved Certification in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Riverside, California! On February 23, Oklahoma Task Force 1 hosted a State Certification evaluation in Tulsa where several Search Teams passed the test, including veteran SDF team Judy Zinn & Royce. This marked …
Everyone who has ever met Rico has seen his tremendous potential and had great expectations for this playful Black Labrador. Originally named Recon, he was born into the Guide Dogs of America (GDA) program on December 8, 2006. By the end of 2007, it had been decided that while Recon …
In February 2018, SDF Head Trainer Sonja Heritage traveled to San Diego to work with Veteran and new Search Teams as part of SDF’s Field Rep program. “It was a really productive trip,” shared Sonja, who worked with several of our Search Teams from California Task Force 8. SDF Search …
Ellen and Tom Paiva, owners of Broken Arrow Dog Training and long-time SDF volunteers, rescued Jerry in September 2007. The first time Ellen met him she saw past his chunky exterior, recognizing his special “Search Dog spark” and his need to have a job! “When we turned him out, it …
Meet two of our canine candidates in training: Flyer and Luka! FLYER Flyer is a rescued Border Collie mix that always appears to be smiling and happy to work– her one floppy ear emphasizes her spunky character. Flyer came to us through Haven Humane Society in Redding, CA after animal …
