On October 20, 2000 a black and white bundle of furry energy was born that would later become a part of SDF’s first international team from the Mexican State of Baja California, based in Tijuana. Tinker—as this intelligent, energetic Border Collie came to be known—came to SDF through Border Collie …
The black Lab named Billy began his career with the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) staying with SDF Founder Wilma Melville and her late husband John at their home in Ojai, CA. Wilma evaluated his toy-drive and soon found she had nothing to worry about: “Billy was outside the wrought-iron fence …
Westlake Malibu Lifestyle | Search Dog Foundation teams look for survivors of disasters around the world.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Stella’s pink tongue hangs out of her mouth, her tail wags furiously, her demeanor is as friendly as any other black Labrador retriever, but the life of this obedient 3-year-old ball of energy is decidedly more complex than most other canines.
Icon was born and raised in Rochester, New York, where he started training at eight weeks of age to become a guide dog for the blind. His early training included basic obedience, socialization and exposure to situations like airline travel, getting on and off of buses, negotiating city traffic, and …
Since its inception, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) has focused on recruiting search dog candidates from shelters, breed rescue groups, and other individuals or organizations. Our canine recruiters evaluate these dogs, and if they fit within our criteria, we accept them into the program, care for them, …
Marc and his littermates, Doc and Mocha, were born on March 22, 1999. The three chocolate Labradors were initially candidates for the Guide Dogs of America (GDA) program—but they all had too much energy to be Guide Dogs. It was very unusual for GDA to have so many puppies from …
German Shepherd Maverick was born in New Mexico on July 23, 2002. His owner, Karen, thought he would make a great search and rescue dog because he was energetic, bold, and determined. Karen donated this high-energy canine to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). Upon his arrival …
Buddy was originally named “Happy” and donated to SDF by the organization, Butte Sink Retrievers. Born on June 6, 1997, Buddy entered our search dog training program as a young adult and was eventually partnered with handler Kelly Gordon. A San Diego area police officer, Kelly was a member of …
