The day that Royce was dropped off at the Santa Maria Animal Care and Control shelter in Santa Maria, CA in November of 2010, may well have been the best day of this lucky dog’s life.
His original owners had purchased Royce from a breeder in the Midwest and brought him home to Central California, where he repeatedly scaled the family’s six-foot-tall backyard fence. Royce’s escapades often landed him in the shelter, and finally it was too much for the family to handle – so they signed him over to the animal shelter personnel for good. Luckily for Royce, SDF Canine Recruiter Heidi Miller-Mercer was at the Santa Maria shelter looking for Search Dog candidates that day and immediately wanted to evaluate Royce.
After passing the evaluation with flying colors, Royce began SDF’s training program at the Prep Kennel in Santa Clarita, CA and graduated to advanced training at Sundowners Kennel in Gilroy, CA in January of 2011.
Following seven months of intensive training, Royce was ready to be paired with a handler. When the new Training Group from Tulsa, OK arrived at the kennel, trainers paired Royce with handler and veterinarian Judy Zinn.
“His antics never cease to amuse me, but when it comes time to search, he is a serious working machine. He will often stare at me as if to say, ‘Thank you for giving me a job. Thank you for giving me a chance. Thank you for loving me the way I am!’” says Judy. “The trust that he has in me deepens every day and I hope I can continue to earn that trust through our years together.”
Judy and Royce worked with the rest of their teammates on Oklahoma Task Force 1 in preparation for their basic State Urban Search and Rescue Association (SUSAR) Type II Certification, which they earned in March of 2012. Just one month later, the two achieved their advanced SUSAR Type I Certification. Certification enables teams to deploy anywhere in the state of Oklahoma and surrounding region when disaster strikes, and teams must re-certify every three years in order to maintain their active status.
For Judy and Royce, the call to duty came on May 20, 2013, when they were deployed with Oklahoma Task Force 1 to Moore, OK after an EF5 tornado devastated much of the city. The canine teams searched for several days before the governor was able to declare all of Moore’s citizens accounted for.
Then on April 27, 2015, Judy and Royce traveled to Salina, KS to be evaluated for SUSAR Re-Certification. All U.S. teams must be evaluated every three years to remain eligible to deploy with their task force.
A year later, a large tornado tore through Sand Springs, OK, on March 30, 2016. Four teams, including Judy & Royce, deployed to assist citizens in the aftermath of the storm. The teams canvassed a 1 square mile area, making sure people were okay and checking for debris and downed power lines. They reported back that, thankfully, people were given adequate warning and were able to seek shelter, so no lives were lost.
In 2020, at 11 years of age, Royce and Judy retired from Oklahoma Task Force 1, enabling Royce to enjoy a more relaxing life as a pet in Judy’s home.
In January 2024, Royce crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the age of 15 years old. His life and service will be honored at SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall in Santa Paula.