Kari (2009-2022)

Kari was discovered in the apartment complex of Naomi Greenfield, after she noticed Kari, full of life and energy, in a neighbor’s yard. Naomi saw something special in Kari and believed she had untapped potential. She spoke to Kari’s family and learned how to evaluate Kari as a search dog …

Sonic (2007-2022)

In February 2009, SDF trainers Sharon Hanzelka and Kate Davern had some free time while visiting Las Vegas and decided to visit local animal shelters to look for search dog candidates. At The Animal Foundation (formerly Leid Animal Shelter), one of the largest shelters in the area, they split up …

Three SDF-trained search dog teams respond to Florida in aftermath of Hurricane Ian

  Hurricane Ian made its way past Cuba, through central Florida, and up the East Coast of the United States over a period of nearly one week. Growing from a tropical storm into a deadly Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall on the western Florida coastline, Ian crept slowly …

Rex (2008-2022)

In the summer of 2008, an SDF volunteer received word from a friend about a Labrador breeder in Central California who needed to place one of her puppies. The breeder had a reputation for producing high-drive field trial and duck hunting dogs – precisely the type of dogs who might …

Two SDF canine teams search collapsed building after Tijuana landslide

Baja California Task Force 3 (BC-TF3) members Fidel Gomez & Gemma and Luis Garcia & Montecito responded to a landslide in the Sanchez Taboada area of Tijuana. The canine teams were dispatched within ten minutes of the 911 call when it was reported that the landslide had collapsed a building …

SDF search team deploys after commercial building fire in Ventura County

Our very own SDF staff member, Mandy Tisdale, deployed with her search dog, Paul, to an abandoned commercial building fire in Oxnard on July 15, 2022. Upon arriving on the scene, firefighters rescued a homeless man from the roof of the building. Unsure if additional people had been inside when …