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 almost always passed over in favor of dogs of other colors.
In addition to being a Black Lab, Sherman brought with him an extremely hyper disposition, excessive barking (“the loudest dog in the shelter”), and jumping and digging – all qualities that added up to make this otherwise wonderful, loving dog a less-than-ideal family pet.
Thankfully for Sherman, a string of dedicated volunteers came to his rescue and ushered him into his new career as a Search Dog. A volunteer with the San Luis Obispo County Animal Shelter first found Sherman wandering the streets of Los Osos, CA in poor health and brought him to the shelter. He stayed there for a long time, waiting for his talents to be discovered. The shelter staff named him Sherman because he’s as big and strong as a tank. SDF volunteer Ellen Perryess first noticed Sherman’s Search Dog talent, and quickly called another SDF volunteer, Heidi Miller, for a second opinion.
Heidi quickly confirmed that Sherman was a “winner,” and got to work getting Sherman his medical clearance to begin training. “Sherman is such a driven, strong character. The vet called me after his neuter surgery because they couldn’t keep him quiet, even on medication! I had to bring him to my house and sleep with him in my bed until he got his stitches out,” said Ellen. “Thankfully, he’s a really nice guy. It would’ve just been too much if he wasn’t. We so loved having Sherman with us. He’s a treasure, if a bit of a loudmouth.”
When Sherman finally arrived at SDF for training, he was still overcoming many of the parasites and problems he had accumulated while on the streets. “He was just this big, skinny, silly dog at first,” said SDF Trainer Kellee Matthews. After several more weeks of TLC and medical treatment at SDF, Sherman was feeling great and ready to get to work. The trainers were relieved that Sherman retained his sweet, happy attitude throughout his training. “He never took advantage of his size. He’s just a nice, nice dog with a great demeanor, and a hard worker,” said Kellee.
Indeed, the only problem SDF faced with Sherman was finding a new name for him. SDF had recently retired a Search Dog named Sherman, so our new recruit was renamed Tank.
Shortly thereafter, as Tank neared graduation from Sundowners, veteran SDF Handler Steve Swaney’s Search Dog Icon passed away. Steve was the fourth Handler to have received a Search Dog from SDF, and had been responding to disasters with a canine partner ever since. Steve made several trips to Sundowners Kennels to work with the dogs and see if there might be a new canine partner for him. It became apparent to everyone that Steve and Tank would make a great team, and the two were partnered in October of 2010. Perhaps the most amazing part of this story is that Steve’s first Search Dog – the partner that he searched with at Ground Zero and other disasters – was the recently retired Search Dog named Sherman!
The trainers are quick to point out that it’s more than the coincidence of names that made Steve and Tank a good pair. Like Tank, Steve is serious and precise when it comes to working and searching. The two made a great no-nonsense pair, and California Task Force 8 looked forward to these two quickly achieving their FEMA Certification. At the time, SDF staff member Denise Sanders said, “With Steve at the helm and Tank’s talent and training, I’m sure they’ll be certified and deployment ready in no time.”
Tank quickly found himself feeling at home with Steve in El Cajon, CA. Not only did he make friends with Steve’s human family, but he also got along well with the four-legged side of the family, including Steve’s pet dogs, cats and horses.
The team trained hard and achieved FEMA Certification in Irvine, CA in January of 2012. They continued their rigorous training to be ready when disaster struck, but the call did not come before Steve decided to retire Tank when his certification ran out in 2015.
Steve continued to work in the fire service, eventually being promoted to chief. He also continued to help his teammates on the canine component of the San Diego task force.
Tank enjoyed his retirement years in the home of one of Steve’s friends and co-workers, Jay Wojnowski. Jay and his family were very attached to Tank and Steve was very busy. Everyone agreed that Tank would be comfortable and happy in the Wojnowski home, and they were right!
Tank lived with the Wojnowski’s for 4 years, crossing the Rainbow Bridge a month before his 11th birthday. He was very loved by many and will be greatly missed. Tank had a great big heart and will be remembered forever at SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall.