In May of 2009, a new SDF volunteer named Bill Murphy came across a listing for a five-month-old Lab mix at the Yolo County Animal Shelter. The description of the pup was appealing, and Bill felt this boy was worth a look. He immediately forwarded the information to the SDF …
The naming of Search Dogs Luka and Victor Saturday, March 7, 2020, marked an important day for SDF as we were grateful to meet and present the United States Marine Corps Squadron HMLA-469 with a very special gift, honoring their fellow soldiers killed in action during rescue operations in Nepal …
In September of 2008 opportunity knocked – or rather tail wagged – for Bella. SDF handler Al Duncan of San Francisco’s Presidio Fire Department had responded to a call from the Stockton Animal Shelter about a possible Search Dog candidate. Unfortunately, the first dog he tested did not have the …
In May of 2015, SDF Handler Trevor Lawrence contacted our training staff about a potential canine candidate he had located in his home state of Utah. Trevor had located homeless canine Charlie at Companion Golden Retriever Rescue (CGRR) in West Jordan, UT, and was a maniac for the toy. After …
Nino was an energetic Fox Red Labrador Retriever, and since he began on the path towards becoming a FEMA-Certified Disaster Search Dog, he impressed everyone he met with his athleticism and drive. Added to this is the absolute joy he finds in barking—which, for a Search Dog, is a powerful tool. …
Ellen Perryess, a 9-year veteran volunteer for the San Luis Obispo (SLO) County Animal Shelter, learned about the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) from her friend and now SDF Canine Recruiter, Heidi Miller-Mercer. Heidi has been a canine evaluator for SDF for many years and was helping Ellen learn to evaluate …
On January 4 and 5, 2020, eight canine disaster search teams from Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee joined veteran handlers and instructors Teresa MacPherson (Virginia Task Force 1) & Deborah Burnett (Tennessee Task Force 1) at the National Training Center (NTC) for the final in a series of four …
On Friday, December 13, 2019, two new canine disaster search teams joined the nation’s elite roster of urban search and rescue task forces at the Search Dog Foundation’s (SDF) National Training Center. These new teams will now train together in preparation for federal certification, which will allow them to deploy …
Leila began her life as a candidate for Guide Dogs of America in Sylmar, CA, where she was learning to be a companion dog to the blind and visually impaired. Staff there soon realized that her incredible toy drive and endless energy would be better put to use in another …
