Eva was bred and raised by Southern California resident and canine enthusiast Heather Smith. Over the years, Heather has turned her interest in the natural capabilities of a dog into a passion for agility and tracking training, among other hobbies. In late 2014, due to physical constraints, Heather reached out to SDF when looking for a new home for her two Belgian Malinois, Eva, and her littermate Brio.
Unfortunately, Brio did not have every characteristic we look for when seeking canine candidates for our program, but Eva was incredible during the evaluation process. Heather donated Eva to SDF, and Eva began working with our staff immediately.
Eva progressed well through SDF’s training program. The trainers could say nothing but good things about her every step of the way. Bold and athletic, Eva was quick to learn and graceful on rubble.
On January 22, 2016, Eva graduated and partnered with Captain Manny Sampang of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Since being paired, Manny and Eva spend all of their time together. Manny and Eva trained daily in preparation for their Certification Evaluation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The team achieved certification in Castaic, CA, on September 17, 2016, and are now eligible to deploy with California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2), based in Los Angeles. As an international task force, they may respond to aid civilians anywhere that disaster may strike in the world.
Their first call to duty occurred on December 17, 2016, when, tragically, a eucalyptus tree collapsed on a wedding party celebrating in a Whittier Park, killing one person and injuring seven others. The tree measured 80’ tall and was believed to have fallen due to the drought Southern California had experienced for several years. Two canine teams deployed to search the small area to make sure no one else was trapped before recovery crews could go in and begin to clean up. Luckily, no one else suffered additional injuries.
The following year, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico City, USA-2 (CA-TF2 when deploying domestically) deployed to Mexico on a 10-day lifesaving mission. Five SDF-trained teams from Los Angeles County Fire joined forces with our two teams from Tijuana to search for people who might be trapped alive. It was an enormous task, and the teams made us very proud!
Then on the night of January 8, 2018, an enormous mudslide ripped through the usually quiet neighborhood of Montecito. Several factors, including the recent Thomas Fire and heavy rains, created a deadly situation for residents. By the 10th, because of the sheer amount of destruction, eighteen SDF-trained canine teams were in Montecito, the most that had ever been sent to a single location. Manny and Eva spent a week combing what remained of people’s homes until most citizens were accounted for and the search was called off. Manny said that Eva did an incredible job, and he was very proud of her performance.
The team achieved FEMA re-certification to retain their active deployment status with CA-TF2 on March 2, 2019, and June 18, 2022.
During that time, Eva and Manny deployed on the following searches:
- July 16, 2019 – Building Collapse – Gardena, CA
- July 16, 2019 – Vehicle Crash – Diamond Bar, CA
- June 26, 2019 – Missing Person Search – Mt. Waterman, CA
After these six successful missions, Eva retired from the Los Angeles County Fire Department on January 1, 2024. She is spending her retirement years as a pet in Manny’s home, and though she has slowed down in her senior years, she remains happy and healthy. Eva still loves to play fetch and is doing well with a more relaxing lifestyle.
We are grateful to Eva and Manny for their service to the nation and wish Eva many more years of a cheerful retirement.