Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4)
Agency: Berkeley Fire
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Border Collie Mix
Sex: Female
Born: August 29, 2017
Recruited from the Western Hills Humane Society
Recruited by the South Dakota Canine Center
Sponsor: Ann Cooluris
Sadly, Topa was discovered locked in a hot vehicle in August 2018, in South Dakota, along with another dog. It is estimated that nearly eight hours had passed by the time concerned citizens noticed the dogs and called the police to break the windows to free the two pups.
Unfortunately, the other dog passed away shortly after their rescue due to heat stroke from the extreme temperature inside the vehicle. When the owner was discovered in a nearby bar, he was arrested due to animal neglect, as well as additional outstanding legal issues, forcing him to surrender ownership of Topa to the local shelter.
Soon after she arrived at the Western Hills Humane Society in Spearfish, South Dakota, Topa was discovered by longtime SDF recruiters Kellee and Tim Matthews of the South Dakota Canine Center.
Kellee and Tim had noticed a video posted on Facebook of Topa playing fetch and saw that spark in her eyes. She had the toy drive needed in a Search Dog and so, she was adopted by the Matthews for further evaluation.
While at home with the Matthews, this Border Collie mix was well-mannered, with a natural, focused drive. During evaluation, nothing was able to interrupt her—she was all business and made everything look easy. The Matthews shared that Topa was quite possibly the most athletic and agile dog they have ever met!
A few weeks later she was flown to SDF’s National Training Center in California and named “Topa” in honor of Founder Wilma Melville’s very first search dog. Topa did well with each new element she learned in our training program and loved direction & control, as well as agility training.
On September 27, 2019, Topa was paired with Apparatus Operator Rudy Valencia of the Berkeley Fire Department. The new team worked hard to develop a strong bond and communicate effectively. They achieved certification with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in January 2021, thus enabling them to deploy with their teammates on California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) when the time arose.
Their first call to action came on Sunday, August 29, 2021, when Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a category 4. Rudy and Topa deployed with teammates as a Type 3 resource to the Gulf States. Search teams spent nearly a week in the area, finally sent home when all citizens were accounted for.
Rudy and Topa continued to train regularly with their task force teammates and in November 2023, they achieved FEMA re-certification in Riverside, CA. Teams must certify every three years to remain active on their task force rosters, and Topa is ready to go at a moment’s notice!