In February 2009, SDF trainers Sharon Hanzelka and Kate Davern had some free time while visiting Las Vegas and decided to visit local animal shelters to look for search dog candidates. At The Animal Foundation (formerly Leid Animal Shelter), one of the largest shelters in the area, they split up to walk the aisles of more than 1,000 dogs housed there. They spent hours walking up and down each row of kennels with toys in hand, hoping one of the dogs would come forward and show some interest in their toy.
When they were through almost every run, Kate approached a black Labrador mix. Initially, the dog stayed at the back of his run, but when Kate moved the toy, the Lab showed interest and came to the front with ears and tail up. With the help of staff, Kate and Sharon took the Lab named Sonic out to the yard and ran him through some exercises, testing his drive and focus for the toy.
After a few quick tests, it looked like they had found a winner, but since they had flown to Vegas, they needed help getting Sonic to California. Nevada Task Force 1 handler Bryan Morgan and his wife Sarah jumped in to help, driving Sonic from Las Vegas to SDF’s facility in California.
Sonic graduated from search dog training and in January 2010, was paired with Laurel Pitman, a Captain with Dallas Fire-Rescue and member of Texas Task Force 2. Sonic and Laurel passed their State Urban Search and Rescue (SUSAR) Type II Certification test in Tulsa, OK in December 2010. A short time later, in June 2011, Laurel and Sonic achieved their SUSAR Type I Certification in Oklahoma City, OK, making them eligible to deploy to disasters anywhere in Texas.
The team put their certification and years of training to good use when they responded with Texas Task Force 2 and teammates Keri Grant and search dog Tucker to the tornado-ravaged community of Granbury, TX, on May 15, 2013. Laurel and Sonic assisted in the search of over 130 homes left devastated in the tornado’s path.
On June 7, 2014, to maintain their deployment-ready status, Laurel and Sonic achieved SUSAR re-certification in Salina, KS. Required every three years, re-certification ensures that teams are always ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice.
On May 28, 2015, Sonic and Laurel responded to flooding in San Marcos, TX, with other members of Texas Task Force 2. Due to the immense damage, Sonic and Laurel were deployed for six days alongside other agencies, including Texas Task Force 1, the Texas State Guard, and the Board Patrol Search Team. In these situations, teams are released from duty once authorities have determined that all citizens are accounted for.
The team re-certified again on June 9, 2017, and deployed twice more to assist their community in the years that followed:
April 29, 2017 – Canton, TX – Tornado
July 31, 2018 – Irving, TX – Parking structure collapse
When his third and final SUSAR certification ran out in June 2020, Laurel and Sonic retired from their task force but remained in service to the Dallas area. Sonic continued to go to the fire station with Laurel every day for an additional 15 months in case they could help locally.
Sonic officially retired from Dallas Fire-Rescue on October 12, 2021, and became a pet in Laurel’s home at age 14! His longevity in the field is proof of the excellent care Laurel took of her beloved partner. Sonic enjoyed more downtime in retirement but never lost that passion for a good game of fetch.
On October 4, 2022, Sonic peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge of natural causes. Sonic left an impact on all who met him, and he will be dearly missed, most of all by his best friend and partner of nearly 13 years, Laurel. SDF will honor Sonic at our Canine Memorial Wall in Santa Paula, CA so that his service to the nation will not be forgotten. Thank you, Sonic. We are grateful to you.