On June 22, 2019, a 73-year-old man was separated from his hiking group in the mountains near La Canada Flintridge, CA. SDF-trained Search Teams Manny Sampang & Eva and Ryan Greenup & Koda (both with Los Angeles County Fire Department) were sent out as a part of a massive search …
In late 2005, after receiving a letter from SDF volunteer Jeff Pepper introducing SDF to Homeward Bound Rescue and Sanctuary, their staff and volunteers kept a look out for canines with Search Dog potential. Weeks earlier, a Golden Retriever that Homeward Bound named Baxter was found wandering the streets of …
On Sunday, June 9, just after 2 p.m. local time, a construction crane collapsed into an occupied apartment building in Dallas, TX amid a thunderstorm that produced strong winds and hail throughout the area. Three SDF-trained canine disaster search teams were called upon to search the building for anyone trapped …
Firefighter Jason Jasgur of the Los Angeles Fire Department grew up surrounded by heroes—his uncle was a firefighter/engineer with Running Springs Fire Department in San Bernardino and his dad was a volunteer with Los Angeles County Search and Rescue. Jason was determined to become a first responder himself. Watching his …
Congratulations to the Canine Disaster Search Teams who achieved SUSAR Certification at the NTC! We are excited to announce that all three New York search teams that participated in the first-ever State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR) canine evaluation held at the National Training Center (NTC) passed the test! …
On May 18 and 19, SDF hosted a two-day intensive workshop at its National Training Center (NTC) for canine disaster search teams of all levels who traveled from all over California, Florida, New York, and Mexico. Using all 125-acres of the NTC, lead instructor Steve Swaney and SDF’s training …
Turning Rescue Dogs into Rescuers KDKA Radio Hosts Marty Griffin and Wendy Bell welcome SDF Communications Director Denise Sanders on their show to share the history and mission of the Search Dog Foundation and talk about the extensive training for our Search Dogs. Listen below! Listen to the original broadcast …
April 6 to 7, Search Teams gathered at our National Training Center (NTC) for the second in a series of weekend training sessions designed specifically for SDF-trained teams, instructed by SDF trainers. Visiting from other parts of California, as well as Nebraska, Oklahoma and Utah, a dozen Canine Search …
Congratulations to the Canine Disaster Search Teams who achieved Certification in April! On April 13 and 14, Canine Disaster Search Teams traveled from all over the country to take their FEMA Certification Evaluation in Seattle, WA. Veteran SDF-trained Search Teams Cynthia Sato & Roxy (California Task Force 1), Mark Schroeder …
On Tuesday, April 2, urban search and rescue task forces from Fairfax, VA and Los Angeles, CA kicked off a joint four-day field training exercise across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. This training focused on deployment readiness for the teams, dubbed USA-1 and USA-2 when deployed internationally by the Office …
