Clancy was discovered by SDF volunteer Penny Woodruff, who had seen Clancy advertised on Craig’s List as a high-energy dog needing a good home. Clancy’s owner hoped he would make a good duck-hunting companion around their Gardnerville, NV, home but soon determined that waiting patiently for the birds to fly was not Clancy’s strong suit.
When Penny called to inquire about Clancy, she loved what she heard and wanted to evaluate him for SDF’s program. But the day before the testing, Clancy’s owner called and said they were not ready to say goodbye to him.
A few months later, Penny received an unexpected phone call that Clancy’s family was exhausted and could no longer handle Clancy’s energy. He had made a habit of escaping from their two-acre property, and they were concerned for his safety. Penny evaluated him right away and was amazed: “Boy, did he have drive!” He breezed through every hunt test but could not sit still; he was always moving! At this point, it was clear that Clancy needed a job, and his family agreed to donate him to SDF.
Penny immediately transported Clancy to SDF’s National Training Center (NTC) in Santa Paula, CA, to begin training. After seeing him work, SDF’s trainers knew Clancy was a natural. Trainer Emily Fisk reported early in his training, “In the last few weeks, Clancy has really blossomed. He is doing excellent in agility and obedience. He really enjoys giving you a focused heel. Clancy has also been amazing in direction-and-control. He is paying very close attention to his handler and never really makes a mistake! Good boy! He did very well searching the buildings and searching over the rubble. He tries very hard to always please his handler. What a sweet dog!”
On November 14, 2014, Clancy was partnered with SDF veteran handler Captain Jim Boggeri of the Marin County Fire Department. Unfortunately, Jim was forced to end his career as a Canine Search Specialist several months later due to family obligations.
As Clancy was certainly not ready for retirement, he came back to the NTC and was partnered on September 24, 2015, with new handler Jake Armendariz of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The pair made a great team and achieved certification with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on March 5, 2016. As members of the West Coast’s internationally deployable California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2), Jake and Clancy had the opportunity to help citizens in need when disasters occurred around the world
The first opportunity to put their skills to use was September 19-29, 2017, when seven SDF-trained teams deployed to Mexico City following a deadly magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Tragically, hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured. Jake, Clancy, and the teams spent ten days assisting local agencies as much as possible.
Months later, on January 9, 2018, deadly mudslides devastated the community of Montecito, CA, where the Thomas Fire had swept through the nearby mountains a month earlier. Jake and Clancy searched for two weeks, along with seventeen SDF-trained canine teams from across California, until nearly every citizen was accounted for.
All canine search teams must take a Certification Evaluation every three years to prove that they meet the nation’s minimum standards, so in March 2019 and again in October 2021, Jake and Clancy achieved FEMA re-certification.
Clancy’s third and final deployment was overseas to Turkiye in February 2023 when CA-TF2 deployed as USA-2 to assist the thousands of people whose lives were turned upside down after a deadly magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck, as well as the aftershocks that followed. USA-2 were part of a massive 2-week search and rescue mission that included dozens of canine teams from around the globe.
Upon returning home, Jake began making small changes to Clancy’s routine to prepare him for retirement, which occurred on December 31, 2023, at the age of 11. Clancy was given more leniency in the house as he transitioned into the role of “household pet.” Jake reported that Clancy is happy, healthy, and enjoys sleeping in, though he is still an avid ball-fetcher.