Join us in giving a Round of A-Paws to our three newest Canine Disaster
Search Teams and 100% Certification Pass Rate for 10 SDF Search Teams!
Each graduating class further enables us to achieve
our mission of strengthening disaster response in
America. This May, Utah and New York received new
Canine Search Teams to serve their communities.
We are proud to announce our newest teams, and
look forward to sharing their achievements with
you! The new teams are spending their first weeks
together deepening the bond that will see them
through years of intensive training and difficult,
demanding deployments. The new teams will train
together with veteran SDF Search Teams several
times each week to prepare for Certification.
Our 2016 Graduates & SDF Trainers
Your support makes this possible!
Frankie Grant & Merlin
Unified Fire Authority
Utah Task Force 1
Recruited from: Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue in
San Francisco, CA
Recruited by: Elise Lalor
Guardian: Joyce & Robert Wire
Sponsor: Patricia Snyder
Merlin’s story:
Merlin’s journey to becoming a Search Dog began when he
was picked up as a stray on the streets of Oakland in 2014.
He was deemed unadoptable to the general public. A shelter
volunteer began working with him to calm his nervousness
and anxiety, and shortly thereafter he was rescued from the
shelter by Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue, who then
contacted SDF. Since SDF trainers began working with him,
Merlin has blossomed. He is a joy to watch work a rubble pile
and spend time with!
Chris Johnson & Charlie
NY State Office of Fire Prevention and Control
New York Task Force 2
Recruited from: Companion Golden Retriever Rescue in West
Jordan, UT
Recruited by: Trevor Lawrence
Sponsors: Stella & Arthur Pepper Foundation; Jeff Pepper
Charlie’s story:
Charlie came to SDF from Companion Golden Retriever
Rescue in 2015. We don’t know much about Charlie’s start in
life, but he quickly exhibited an insatiable toy drive, making
him an excellent candidate for SDF. Upon arrival, he had
poor social skills and not much interest in humans in general,
but through concentrated daily training sessions and after
receiving consistent TLC from SDF staff, Charlie is a different
dog now in many ways. It was quite obvious that when he met
Chris he had chosen his new partner. After being paired Chris
told us, “Charlie is a phenomenal dog who most certainly will
help keep New York safe!” We know they both will!
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation - 888-459-4376 - www.searchdogfoundation.org
Brian Girard & Keila
NY State Office of Fire Prevention and Control
New York Task Force 2
Recruited from: Brightside Animal Center in Redmond, OR
Recruited by: Kirsten Fulk
Sponsors: Ann, Paul, Erika & Matthew DeMartini
Named by: Ann, Paul, Erika & Matthew DeMartini
Keila’s story:
Keila was surrendered to Brightside Humane in 2015 and
was quickly evaluated as being too driven for the average
household pet, but a great candidate for SDF!
Emily Fisk, one of SDF’s trainers, said this about Keila during
her training: “She gets so excited about getting her toy, she
really loves to tug. Her agility is great and she is just putting
the finishing touches on perfecting her footwork and learning
to use each foot individually. She is very solid in direction
control and is even doing well being handled by different
people. She has generalized very easily and pays close
attention to her trainer. Her focused heel and obedience are
also very strong.”
After one year of training at SDF’s National Training Center,
Keila is now putting her best paw forward for the State of New
York, and the nation!
100% Certification Pass Rate for SDF Search Teams!
Please join us in congratulating the 10 SDF Search Teams below who recently achieved Certification or
Recertification through either the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or State Urban Search &
Rescue Alliance (SUSAR)! Teams must achieve Certification to be eligible to deploy with their Task Force
once a disaster occurs. The test requires the Search Dog to locate 4-6 buried victims within two rubble piles,
totaling up to 30,000 square feet, in 40 minutes or less. It is no easy feat but the teams did a wonderful job
and we couldn’t be prouder!
Left to Right: Mark Schroeder & Noah, Doug Van Iwaarden & Sadie, Left to Right: Dane Yaw & Salsa, Jason Smith & Jagger, Mark
Edwards & Taz, Brent Koeninger & Moxie
Cynthia Sato & Roxy, Deresa Teller & Huck, Josh Flores & Cajun,
Jason Dobbins & Diva
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation - 888-459-4376 - www.searchdogfoundation.org