Team Info
Task Force: New York Task Force 2 (NY-TF2)
Agency: New York State Office of Fire Prevention & Control
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Black Lab
Sex: Male
Born: December 3, 2015
Recruited from Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands, NY
Sponsors: Mike Johnson, Lynn Ann Casey and Arc Aspicio
Named by Miller Hill Elementary in New York
Echo was surrendered to a shelter in Tennessee early in 2017 by his owner due to his high energy. At SDF, we believe many of the characteristics we look for in an ideal canine candidate are why they end up in shelters: their behavior is too challenging for the average pet owner. These dogs are rambunctious, vocal, jump high fences, and want to play all day.
Echo was transferred north to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands, NY, hoping he would have a better chance of adoption. Once in NY, that shelter’s director of animal welfare realized Echo’s potential and contacted New York Task Force 2 (NY-TF2), based in Albany, knowing they had been searching for dogs for SDF to train.
After running Echo through SDF-sanctioned testing at a training site, NY-TF2 members agreed that Echo had search dog potential and immediately contacted staff at SDF. Upon seeing videos of Echo’s tests, SDF trainers agreed that he had promise in the search and rescue field and plans were made for him to travel to California for formal training.
Echo, whose prior name was “Lolo,” needed a new name to reflect his new career and life, so the task force commissioned the 5th-grade class at Miller Hill Elementary to choose it. The students had been learning about disaster services, focusing on search and rescue canines. The class voted on “Echo” from an approved list provided by the task force.
Echo arrived at SDF’s National Training Center in California in June 2017 and began to learn his new career. He was a star student and athlete who immensely enjoyed the search and rescue elements. Echo completed training and graduated on February 2, 2018, when he was paired with Fire Protection Specialist Brook Rowley of the New York State Office of Fire Prevention & Control.
The new team trained regularly at home in New York and returned to California to achieve Type I certification on May 20, 2019. This status allows Brook and Echo to deploy regionally with their department and nationally with NY-TF2.
Since then, the team has deployed on the following missions:
- September 3, 2019 – Hurricane Dorian – North Carolina
- July 25, 2020 – Missing Person Search – Hoosick Falls, NY
- September 6, 2020 – Missing Person Search – Blenheim, NY
- February 21, 2021 – Missing Person Search – Castleton, NY
- August 21, 2021 – Hurricane Henri – Long Island, NY
- August 27, 2021 – Hurricane Ida – Orange County, NJ
- March 1, 2022 – Missing Person Search – Bethlehem, NY
- July 10, 2022 – Missing Person Search – Washington County, NY
- July 12, 2022 – Structure Collapse – Greenwich, NY
- January 25, 2023 – Missing Person Search – Middleport, NY
- August 17, 2023 – Missing Person Search – Catskills, NY
- September 15, 2023 – Missing Person Search – Amsterdam, NY
- November 2, 2023 – Explosion – Wappinger Falls, NY
- September 25, 2024 – Hurricane Helene, East Coast
The team achieved re-certification in April 2022 and May 2024, proving their skills were still sharp and up to par. They continue to train regularly with their task force in preparation for the next call!