Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) and California Regional Task Force 7 (CA-RTF7)
Level: FEMA Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Black Labrador
Sex: Female
Born: September 7, 2020
Recruited from Kaiser K9, Inc.
Mandy Tisdale is SDF’s Director of Canine Behavior and Training and is responsible for the management of our canine training team as well as the training and ongoing development of prospective and graduate canine teams. Before joining SDF, Mandy spent almost a decade as a canine trainer in private dog training practice, focusing extensively on dogs with challenging behavior problems and coaching dog owners in the successful management of challenging dogs. Mandy’s experience in coaching individuals on both ends of the leash is invaluable in the ongoing development of our Canine Training Team and graduate dog handlers. Mandy was originally certified as a Canine Search Specialist with her rescued human remains detection dog, Paul, as members of California Regional Task Force 7, based in Ventura County.
In 2020, Mandy fostered SDF search dog Leslie before Leslie was paired with her handler on California Task Force 4. As her primary trainer during Leslie’s time at SDF, Mandy fell in love with Leslie’s incredible drive and excellent temperament, so when Leslie’s breeder produced another litter from the same parents later that same year, Mandy jumped at the chance to obtain a puppy – a female black Labrador named Hope.
Mandy trained Hope as a live-find urban disaster search and rescue dog, and the team achieved FEMA certification on March 19, 2023. They are currently eligible to deploy with both California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) in Oakland and California Regional Task Force 7 (CA-RTF7) with the Ventura County Fire Department.