Rebar began life as a service dog trainee with Retrieving Freedom, a nonprofit that places service dogs with disabled veterans and children with autism. (His unique name came from the steel company that sponsored his training at Retrieving Freedom.) While Rebar was still a puppy in a volunteer foster home, his host family noted that Rebar had an incredible drive for toys (especially tennis balls!). His toy fixation persisted throughout his formal training at Retrieving Freedom, so his trainers finally concluded that a career in service wasn’t quite right for this busy yellow Lab.
Considering Rebar’s ball obsession and high energy level, Retrieving Freedom staff immediately thought of SDF as the perfect placement for Rebar. After some preliminary testing (which Rebar sailed through), we thought so too! Our incredible partners at Angel Flight Central and Angel Flight West transported Rebar from Iowa to our campus in California, and Rebar’s journey as a search candidate officially began!
Now several weeks into his training at SDF, Rebar shows a natural desire to hunt, and trainers have been building on this foundation to develop his bark alert in search work. Rebar has been having a blast learning obedience elements and foundational toy play, and trainers have been having fun getting to know Rebar, too. They report that Rebar’s sweet face and big, loving eyes instantly melt hearts and make it impossible not to interact with him!
We’re so grateful for the support of our partner organizations whose hard work brought us this special pup. Thanks to our wonderful community, Rebar is set up for success, and we can’t wait to see what else this yellow dynamo can do!