The energy on our campus was palpable on Saturday, April 18, 2026, as we gathered with staff, friends, and family to celebrate a significant milestone: the official pairing of five new search teams. We were especially honored to have our founder, Wilma Melville, join us for the celebration as we marked this occasion during the year of SDF's 30th anniversary, making the day feel like a beautiful full-circle moment for the Foundation.
For thirty years, the Search Dog Foundation has been defined by the profound and powerful relationship between a handler and their canine partner, and the teams we celebrated this weekend represent the culmination of that commitment. Behind every pairing is a journey of thousands of hours spent in training, where both handler and dog build the trust, synchronization, and resilience required to operate in the world's most challenging disaster environments.
Seeing these five teams take this pivotal step doesn't just mark the graduation of individual members; it ensures that, when disaster strikes, our communities are served by the most prepared and capable teams possible. As we look back on three decades of history, we are reminded that our legacy is not just in the years behind us, but in the teams we continue to partner today.
We are incredibly proud of these new handlers and canines, and grateful to our supporters who have been with us since our very first training and those who joined us along the way. Our SDF community is the reason these teams will always be ready when citizens in their communities, as well as the world, need them.
Please join us in congratulating our newest search teams:
- Celina Serrano & Rufus (Los Angeles County Fire, California Task Force 2)
- Lauren Cardin & Jet (Los Angeles County Fire, California Task Force 2)
- Tai Kang & Rory (Los Angeles County Fire, California Task Force 2)
- Eric Ingstad & Chip (Los Angeles City Fire, California Task Force 1)
- Mark Stevenson & Nico (Los Angeles City Fire, California Task Force 1)
Thank you to the following folks for helping us form these pairings:
- Katie Brennan for recruiting Rufus
- Hearing Dog Program for sending us Rufus
- The Joel and Dena Gambord Family for sponsoring Rufus
- Folklore Canine for sending us Jet
- The Joel and Dena Gambord Family for sponsoring Jet
- Katie Brennan for recruiting Rory
- Safe Harbor Lab Rescue for sending us Rory
- PKW Fund at the Dallas Foundation, Carol George and Roger Stewart, and Lazin Animal Foundation for sponsoring Rory
- Katie Brennan for recruiting Chip
- Lancaster Animal Care Center for sending us Chip
- The Joel and Dena Gambord Family and Lazin Animal Foundation for sponsoring Chip
- Trevor Lawrence for recruiting Nico
- Lazin Animal Foundation for sponsoring Nico
Watch our Search Team Pairing Ceremony video here!
