Ventura County Star
Pearl, a four year old Black Lab, was considered a lost cause. A Houdini of sorts, she had been picked up running loose on the street and wound up at the Plumas County Animal Shelter near Truckee, CA. She was able to break out of any backyard, room, or even a locked cage, and was deemed unfit for adoption. Her intense energy and unstoppable will resulted in a life in and out of shelters.
But just like people, every dog has her place in this world. What Pearl needed was a JOB! Lucky for this high-intensity canine, Penny Woodruff, a volunteer at the High Sierra Animal Rescue in Portola, CA, saw Search Dog potential in her, and contacted the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) based in Ojai.
“Within the first five minutes of testing Pearl, I knew we had a winner,” says Karen Klingberg, SDF’s Canine Manager. “This dog could not sit still. All she could think about was finding and retrieving a toy. Several times when I was testing her the toy went into dense shrubs, and without hesitation Pearl would barrel in and find that toy. I was thrilled with our new candidate! I loaded her up in the van and off we went to begin her formal Search Dog training.”
After eight months at Canine Boot Camp, the Search Dog Foundation teamed Pearl with Ron Horetski, a Firefighter-Engineer with the L.A. County Fire Department. Once considered a lost cause, Pearl has joined an elite team of Search Dogs trained to find people buried alive in the wreckage of earthquakes, mudslides, building collapses, and other natural and manmade disasters.
The teams are provided by SDF at no cost to Fire Departments. With emergency response budgets strained to the limit, SDF is able to provide a precious resource that the firefighters depend on to save lives.
On May 16, 2009, Pearl, Ron and 68 other SDF Canine Disaster Search Teams were honored for their service to the community, the state and the nation. The event paid tribute to the heroic men, women and canines who risk their lives to make sure no one is left behind when disaster strikes. Supervisor Steve Bennett was on hand to express his support of SDF’s mission: strengthening disaster response in America. He presented each team with a certificate signed by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
The event took place at the site of the future National Training Center (NTC) in Santa Paula. The first of its kind in the country, the NTC will provide care and training for the canines, and will offer advanced training for the nation’s Canine Disaster Search Teams. The purchase of the 125-acre parcel was made possible by the Ventura pioneer farming family of Frank McGrath, Jr. Their extraordinary donation was followed by another lead gift from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation which has helped to set the project in motion.
Over the next three years, the Search Dog Foundation needs to raise $15 million for the purchase of the land, the NTC construction, and a maintenance endowment. The creation of this facility will enable SDF to consolidate its canine kennels, search training sites and offices to the new location by 2011.
“There’s nothing more important than having the right tools available when lives are at stake. At a time when our country is facing many challenges, the National Training Center is a “can-do” project, mobilizing the resources and talents of Ventura County, California, and the nation to bring this lasting resource to the country,” said Debra Tosch, SDF’s Executive Director.
America needs more than 400 advanced certified Canine Disaster Search Teams to adequately respond to disasters in our country such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and landslides. Right now, there are only 180 teams, and experienced teams are retiring every year. SDF strives to produce the most highly skilled Search Teams in the country by providing ongoing training throughout the ten to twelve working years of a dog.
“I had a vision that one day SDF would have a permanent home–a place where rescued dogs could become rescuers at the hands of highly skilled and loving trainers,” says SDF Founder Wilma Melville. “It will be a real challenge to raise the funds needed for the Center, but the nation has given us the confidence to move forward. I hope we’ll hear soon from a few special individuals, foundations, and businesses who will lead the way in helping us strengthen America’s emergency response network.”
Since its founding in 1996, SDF has trained 90 search teams, 69 of which are currently active. SDF teams have been deployed to disasters including the World Trade Center attacks in 2001, Hurricane Katrina, the La Conchita mudslide in 2005 and the Chatsworth Metrolink train collision in 2008. In the past month alone, the teams were deployed to a truck accident in La Cañada-Flintridge, a car crash in Tehachapi, and to find missing teens in Tustin.
By Aimee L. Quemuel, Search Dog Foundation Volunteer