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 candidate. When Naomi saw good responsiveness in Kari, the next step was getting her formally evaluated. SDF requested the assistance of established SDF search dog handlers located in Florida. Once it was decided that Kari had what it takes to be a search dog, canine recruiter Heidi Miller stepped in to work out the logistics of getting Kari to the west coast.
In March 2011, after several months of coordination, Kari arrived at Sundowners Kennel in Gilroy, CA. The trainers at Sundowners enjoyed their time with Kari immensely. She was sharp and searched with great energy. Day in and day out, Kari was drilled on the exercises essential to a search and rescue dog – direction and control, emergency stops, agility, and, of course, searches. By December 2011, the training had paid off. Program Manager Kate Horwick watched Kari conduct her first-ever three-victim search: “She moved across two acres of land catching scent with ease, grace, and speed. It was wonderful to see the smiles of the trainers, who noted that she found three people hiding within five minutes. If I were buried under rubble, I would welcome Kari’s nose!”
That month, Kari was partnered with Sacramento firefighter handler Chris Bergquist, whose wife, Andrea has been an advocate and evaluator of potential search dog candidates in Sacramento area shelters for many years. We were pleased that Kari was a welcome and happy addition to the household with their two young sons. When Chris spoke about Kari, you could hear his respect and adoration for his search dog: “Kari is one of those special dogs. She is the total package. The first thing people usually say about her is, ‘Wow, she is pretty.’ My thought is always, ‘Yeah, but she is smart, too, and boy, can she search.'”
The team passed their Certification Evaluation in June 2012 in Boston, MA. Earning certification with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) means a team has reached the ultimate goal of becoming deployable to disasters across the U.S. Upon achieving certification, Chris said, “We will continue to work to ensure we are deployment ready. In the unfortunate event that Kari’s services are ever needed, I want her to be fully prepared for whatever challenges come her way. Literally, lives could depend on it.”
When fatal mudslides devastated communities in Oso, WA, many search dogs were on the scene, hoping to bring survivors to safety. Though not called in to help immediately, the Sacramento task force was requested to assist with recovery efforts on April 2, 2014. Upon rotation with several teammates, Chris and Kari deployed to Washington State to help. Kari did not have the opportunity to search, but she stood by, ready to lend a paw as needed.
Then in the fall of 2017, a terrible set of weather systems caused deadly hurricanes to damage multiple U.S. states and territories along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. On September 20, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4. Five SDF-trained canine teams were sent over to assist in locating survivors, including Chris and Kari. Teams searched the small island with a population of over three million people for several days. Once it was determined that citizens were accounted for, U.S. teams were released to return home to their families.
This incredible service to the people of Puerto Rico was Kari’s final deployment as a member of CA-TF7. On May 31, 2018, Kari officially retired from her job as a disaster search dog and enjoyed her life as a pet in the Bergquist home, where she played with the family’s five children to her heart’s content.
She lived until age 13, when she crossed the Rainbow Bridge peacefully on October 28, 2022, of natural causes.
We are very grateful to Kari and her partner Chris for their service to the United States, U.S. Territories, and their local community. Kari will be memorialized at SDF’s National Training Center and will be dearly missed.