Happy Tails – Bay trains to protect aquatic environments as a mussel sniffing dog!
Bay was initially raised by an owner in Utah, but when her owner's home situation changed, they decided to surrender Bay to the Tooele City Animal Shelter. During a visit to the shelter, an SDF canine recruiter noticed Bay's great temperament and strong toy drive and asked to bring her …
Congratulations to our four newest search teams!
We were thrilled to welcome friends, family, supporters, and staff to our campus earlier this month to help us celebrate the latest additions to our search team roster. Four first responders from throughout California were welcomed to the SDF roster with their new canine partners as America’s newest search …
Ozzy & Christine Lopes
Team Info Task Force: California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) Agency: Oakland Fire Department Level: In training to certify Search Dog Info Breed: Labrador Retriever mix Sex: Male Born: March 6, 2022 Recruited from private donor in Utah Sponsor: Joel Gambord Ozzy was raised since puppyhood …
Ridge & Eric Lieuwen
Team Info Task Force: California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7) Agency: Sacramento County Airport Fire Level: In training to certify Search Dog Info Breed: Labrador Retriever Sex: Male Born: September 11, 2020 Recruited from Tooele City Animal Shelter Sponsor: Barbara Barnhart Ridge was found as a …
Emmett & Kristine Priebe
Team Info Task Force: California Task Force 1 (CA-TF1) Agency: Los Angeles Fire Department Level: In training to certify Search Dog Info Breed: American Staffordshire Terrier mix Sex: Male Born: August 2, 2021 Recruited from Southern Oregon Humane Society Sponsors: Marnie, John, and Jesse Cahill, M. Lawrence …
Tex & Steve Thompson
Team Info Task Force: California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) Agency: Oakland Fire Department Level: In training to certify Search Dog Info Breed: Labrador Retriever Sex: Male Born: March 23, 2022 Recruited from South Utah Valley Animal Shelter Sponsors: Beth Apke, Jill Bee Tex was discovered …
Happy Tails – Ripley finds everything he’s looking for and more, including a best friend for life!
Ripley was originally slated for a career as a service dog with Canines for Service in North Carolina, but his energy levels were far higher than those of an ideal candidate for their program. His trainer happened to be a former canine handler with NY-TF1, so he was familiar with …
Happy Tails – Rookie is a rookie no longer—this pro is thriving in his new career as a narcotics detection K9!
Rookie's journey to SDF began when he was found as a stray and taken to the Baldwin County Animal Shelter in Alabama. He was in the shelter for about a month, during which time he didn't have much luck with potential adopters. One interested family took him into the play …
Sadie (2010 – 2024)
A beautiful Black Lab, Sadie’s story is a bit different from our usual SDF recruitment tales. She was discovered by long-time SDF supporter Nona Bauer in La Belle, MO in January 2011. At the time, Sadie was only a few months old and too young to begin Search Dog training …
Happy Tails – Sophie is loving life in the great outdoors!
When a Santa Barbara couple decided to adopt a young Labrador, they thought they knew what they were getting into—they had raised four Labs previously, but Sophie was a whole other ball game—literally! They recognized her ball obsession early on and thought they could tire her out if they just …