Born on October 1, 2007 to a breeder in Northern California who named him “Mojo,” this adorable Yellow Lab had been purchased by an elderly couple looking for a quiet family companion.
Unfortunately, a short time after welcoming Mojo into their lives, the couple started facing some medical issues which made it difficult for them to handle a very rowdy little Lab. Although he was only four months old, Mojo already had a tremendous amount of energy and strength. Realizing it was in the young dog’s best interest to be placed with someone capable of handling him, the couple surrendered him to the South Bay Purebred Rescue in San Jose, CA.
Soon after arriving at South Bay Purebred Rescue, the adorable then seven-month-old pup was adopted by a family from Central California who renamed him Riley. They felt the dog would be a perfect fit for their family that included two small children. They were so excited and anxious to get him home and make him a part of their family!
As time went by, their joy turned into frustration as the sweet Lab puppy grew up and became more than a handful. He was so rambunctious he would knock the children down in his excitement. It soon became clear that they needed help – his extremely energetic nature was just too much for them to handle and he was no longer fun for them to be around.
Fortunately for Riley, the family was dedicated to trying to make it work. They began to research obedience and training classes in their area and came across Sundowners Kennels in Gilroy, CA, where SDF dogs were trained at the time. While then-SDF Trainer Kate Davern was working with Riley on his basic obedience skills, she realized he would be a difficult challenge in any home, let alone one with small children.
After putting Riley through the evaluation exercises, Kate thought Riley would have a great future as a Search Dog. Kate contacted the family, and the owners agreed it would be best for Riley to have a job – because he was not a house pet!
Soon after Riley was admitted to the formal training course, he learned how to climb on rubble, navigate obstacles and bark at a tube where a “victim” was hidden. Kate recalls that Riley “was joyfully insensitive to what he could do to us physically.” Thanks to this “exuberance” and constant desire to be doing something, he sailed through training.
On October 15, 2009, Riley finished his basic Search Dog training and was paired with Eric Gray of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The team worked extremely hard and after seven months of training together, they passed their FEMA Certification on May 15, 2010 in Boston, MA.
Eric and Riley continue to train intensively to maintain the very specific, high-level skill set needed for disaster search. In addition to their regular daily training on obedience and obstacles, Eric and Riley travel at least twice a week for search training with their teammates on California Task Force 2, based in Los Angeles.
On August 24, 2010, Eric and Riley responded to their first disaster along with SDF Search Team Linda Tacconelli and Joe. A semi-truck loaded with gravel had launched off the road and into a Santa Barbara home. Riley quickly searched the area and determined that there were no survivors in the wreckage.
Eric and Riley were then deployed on the following missions:
· March 10, 2011 – Earthquake-Tsunami – Japan
· June 20, 2014 – Missing Person Search – Fillmore, CA
· April 26, 2015 – Earthquake – Kathmandu, Nepal
After achieving initial FEMA Certification, Disaster Search teams must be re-evaluated once every three years in order to maintain their deployment-ready status. In February of 2013, Eric and Riley re-certified in Los Angeles, CA and again in January of 2016 in Miami, FL.
Then, in January of 2018, Eric and Riley were requested to stage in the Montecito, CA area as a large storm system headed for the region that had been recently burned by the Thomas Fire. Though no one could predict what happened next, Eric and Riley were ready.
Just before 4 a.m. on January 9, the intense downpour and quickly accumulated rain caused a massive mudslide that decimated much of the beachside community of Montecito, sweeping homes and their sleeping residents off their foundations. As the sun rose, it revealed devastation throughout a 30-square mile area with homes, cares, and other debris washed from the mountains to the beaches. When the magnitude of the disaster became clear, additional teams from throughout California deployed to assist in rescue efforts. Humans and canines worked side-by-side during the grueling week-long mission to find anyone who survived and was trapped in the wreckage.
In total, 18 SDF Search Teams responded, searching day and night for survivors in the mud. It marked the largest number of SDF teams deployed to a single disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Riley’s commendable career as an urban disaster Search Dog came to an end when his last certification ran out on January 31, 2019. At eleven years of age, eight of them spent as Eric’s partner, Riley retired from Santa Barbara County Fire Department and California Task Force 2. Having slowed down a bit since his puppy days, Riley enjoyed life as a family pet in the Gray home.
Sadly, Riley became ill in July of 2021 and was eventually diagnosed with cancer of the stomach. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge peacefully on August 6, 2021. Eric and his family were able to say their goodbyes and be with Riley at the end.
We are incredibly grateful to Riley for his service to the people of this nation and around the world. He will be honored on SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall so that we never forget this team’s dedication and sacrifice.