Sherman, a male chocolate Labrador born in March of 1996, began his life’s journey as a family dog. After just a short time with that family, they found Sherman’s energy and tenacity to be overwhelming, and decided they could not keep him. Diana Davis, who routinely looks for dogs that have basic search instincts for SDF, came to his rescue. Upon testing his natural skills, she found that Sherman would bark for a toy, was very athletic, very focused and exhibited brute force energy. Diana not only saw these typical Search Dog qualities in Sherman, but she also found him to be the best dog she had ever tested.
To the rescue came firefighter Rich Lund. SDF Founder, Wilma Melville, quickly took Rich up on his offer to raise and train Sherman. Sherman and Rich began their time together when Sherman was just nine months old. Wilma worked with Rich in the areas of training Sherman would need. Sherman was a quick learner from the start, learning “down” and “stay” in just five minutes of training! In the two months Rich and Sherman were together he learned many skills and was soon ready for formal training. When the time came for Sherman to move on, Rich found it very difficult to let him go, but knew that it was his destiny to be a Search Dog.
Lead Trainer, Pluis Davern, described Sherman as a “diligent searcher, a true searching machine.” She found Sherman’s body to be insensitive to any injuries he may receive in his eagerness, which would prove to be an asset to him in searching. Although Pluis fondly described him as “a bull in a china shop,” his training went exceptionally well, and soon Sherman was ready to be paired with a Handler.
A true bond was immediately formed when El Cajon Fire Department firefighter Steve Swaney and Sherman met. Steve spent just three days working with Sherman at Sundowners Kennels in Gilroy, California, and then into the car they went for their trip home. Sherman quickly climbed into the backseat and laid down next to Steve’s daughter (who was in a car seat at the time). Sherman was very gentle and calm on the ride from Gilroy to San Diego. In fact, even when they stopped for cheeseburgers, Sherman never even raised an eyebrow—he was content keeping the baby company.
From the very first day, training and hard work became a part of their daily routine. Their perseverance paid off as Steve and Sherman earned and maintained the elite status of Advanced Certification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after just ten months together. In fact, they were the first team to earn Advanced Certification in all of San Diego!
Steve shared at the time “Sherman is the best dog. He has speed and drive, and he will tackle anything. His whole heart is in the search.” Steve never worried or stressed before the tests because he knew that Sherman will pull him through. Although teams are given 15 minutes to perform the basic test, Sherman and Steve completed one test in just four minutes!
In all the tests Steve and Sherman have completed, Sherman never gave a false alert and, many times, has found the victim in half the time allotted. After Steve fell down during a search and Sherman carried on without him, Steve noted “Sherman is truly committed to his job.”
The “best of the best” search teams were needed subsequent to the 9/11 attacks, so Sherman and Steve were quickly deployed. They arrived at Ground Zero just one day after the World Trade Center towers fell. After ten long days of searching for survivors, Steve said that Sherman never gave up and gave it his all each and every day. Children who had known Sherman sent cards of encouragement, recognizing his dedicated effort at Ground Zero. Steve and Sherman were also deployed to assist with rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September of 2005.
Back at home in El Cajon, Sherman and Steve were involved in many community activities such as open houses for the fire department, many demonstrations for a variety of organizations and school programs, and educating the community on fire awareness and prevention.
Sherman always stayed true to his personality—Steve still described him as that “bull in a china shop” he first met at Sundowners so many years ago. Steve cited an instance when Sherman tried to run through a plate glass window—three times! Steve said Sherman just “tries to use brute strength to get the job accomplished.”
Even during play, Sherman always used his strength. Steve and the other firefighters were amazed when they watched Sherman play with an actual fire hose as though it were a toy. They watched as Sherman pulled and extended the extremely heavy hose 150 feet out. The comments throughout the firehouse were unanimous: “Only Sherman would do that.”
Steve described Sherman as putting “his whole heart into every task he is presented with.” In fact, he said, when other members hid during their training sessions, Sherman searched longer than any other Search Dog. He was also a great source of entertainment, given his exuberance, and earned the nicknames “The Shermanator” and “Sherman Tank” over the years.
As Sherman grew older, it became more and more apparent to Steve that it was time for Sherman to retire. While Steve worked with his new Search Dog, Icon, Sherman enjoyed his retirement and would still occasionally visit the Training Group at their weekly trainings.
Sadly, on the morning of September 9, 2009, Steve had to make the heart-wrenching decision to have his partner of 11 years put down. After a long battle with various medical conditions, the “Shermanator” passed away peacefully at the age of 13.
Written by Kimberly McGuigan; researched by Tia Andrews and Kimberly McGuigan