On October 18, 2025, our training team officially passed the leashes of three incredible search dog graduates to their new handlers. Friends, family, and SDF staff gathered to celebrate these teams and the hard work and dedication that got them to this moment and the beginning of their careers in service to the nation.
Thanks to you and your support, we are proud to introduce you to the newest search teams to join our roster:
Samantha Mar & Max (California Task Force 3, San Francisco)
Cristina Padilla & Winston (California Task Force 3, San Francisco)
Laura Denison & Red (Nebraska Task Force 1)
Now, they join the ranks of two- and four-legged heroes across the country who are ready to search for survivors in the aftermath of a disaster. In the upcoming year, each handler and search dog will work together every day, honing their skills, growing their incredible bond, and preparing for certification to make them deployable with their fire departments and task forces.
We are so proud of these teams and can’t wait to see all they will accomplish together!
Thank you to the following folks for helping us form these pairings:
- Rachel Leard for recruiting Max and Red
- Humane Society of Elmore County for sending us Max
- Cliff & Crystal Wyatt and Steve & Kathleen Davis for sponsoring Max
- Sylvia Stoney for recruiting Winston
- Lab Rescue of Greater Richmond for sending us Winston
- David and Barbara Barnhart for sponsoring Winston
- Save a Stray and City of Mobile Animal Services for sending us Red
- Farmers Insurance and M. Lawrence Lallande & Nicole Lallande for sponsoring Red
- Michael Kennedy and Andrew Herrera for transporting Max and Winston
- Four-Legged Kids Bus for transporting Red
Watch our Search Team Pairing Ceremony video here!
