Girl was a German Wirehair Pointer, born on May 22, 2001 and donated to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) by Rhonda Ridgley of Daisy Dog Rescue in San Jose, California. She was a very stubborn and determined dog, and her intense toy-drive was an immediate draw for SDF canine evaluators. The very attributes that would make her difficult for a family to enjoy made her an ideal candidate for a career in Urban Search and Rescue!
Girl was old enough when donated in 2002 to go directly to Lead Trainer, Pluis Davern, at Sundowners Kennel in Gilroy, California, which trained all SDF candidates from 1996 to 2012.
Due to her intensity, Girl sometimes had challenges while in training, so the directions had to be clear. She worked wonderfully as long as she understood what was wanted of her. Girl soon realized she needed to focus on the task at hand in order to avoid having to perform a “redo” of an exercise, one part of training she truly did not enjoy. She lived up to the high standards of her trainers and definitely wanted to please!
Upon graduation from Sundowners, Girl was paired with Brad Brazeau, a Kern County firefighter from Bakersfield, CA. Girl always went to work with Brad. The firehouse was her place of work, too, and Brad kept her on a strict schedule for training. She had both a crate in Brad’s room and an outside kennel and doghouse. Part of her professional life also involved giving school demonstrations. The children loved her beard, and Girl was the perfect presenter, remaining mellow and calm around the kids.
Brad and Girl achieved their initial Certification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in October of 2005 and officially retired in June of 2008. Upon retirement, she became a “pet” in Brad’s home with his family. Girl was especially devoted to their son, Jordan, playing with him during the day and watching over him through the night.
Sadly, shortly after New Year’s day in 2014, Girl was diagnosed with cancer. Discovered quite late, the cancer was aggressive and Girl lost her battle only days later. When she passed, Brad wrote to SDF staff, “I also want to thank Wilma [Melville], Debra [Tosch], Pluis [Davern] and anyone else who was involved with pairing Girl and I together. I’ve had a lot of great dogs in my life, but Girl has truly been the best. She was an incredible dog and a wonderful partner and friend. Ultimately, Girl didn’t have a really long and storied search career with far-reaching, impressive deployments, but that doesn’t diminish the incredible dog she was, the intelligence she had or the ability she possessed. It certainly doesn’t speak to the strong will, drive and dynamic personality that was at her core.”
We are very sad to have lost Girl. She was the best of partners to Brad and a beloved family member of the Brazeaus’, but we are relieved that she now rests peacefully and are grateful for our time with her.