From October 2020 through August 2021, SDF-trained teams served in ten deployments across California, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York and the island nation of Haiti. While our teams’ missions typically focus on searching for missing persons and survivors after a disaster, the positive impact of their human-canine partnerships extends far beyond the “search.” Topa and her handler Rudy are a perfect example…
When concerned citizens in South Dakota called police to report a dog locked in a hot car, they could never have guessed they were saving the life of a future search dog. Topa, the rescued dog, didn’t know it either, but fate had bigger plans for her.
After her rescue, Topa was transferred to the local animal shelter, where it quickly became apparent that she was no ordinary dog. Topa’s personality and athleticism made her stand out immediately as a potential search dog candidate, and she headed to our campus for training.
Once at SDF, Topa thrived in our program. She passed her skills assessments with flying colors and, in September 2019, was paired with Rudy Valencia of the Berkeley Fire Department. The new team hit it off and soon achieved FEMA certification with California Task Force 4, making them deployable anywhere in the United States.
Maintaining FEMA certification takes consistent effort to keep search skills sharp, so Topa and Rudy work on them daily at their fire station. They were doing just that last May when a father and his daughter walked by on their way home from school.
As the pair passed by the fire station, suddenly another man emerged and began accosting them, yelling and appearing to try to grab the child. Terrified, the father and daughter sought help at the fire station.
While law enforcement responded to secure the situation, Topa responded by tending to the shaken girl, comforting her with snuggles and gentle licks. Rudy shared, “Topa’s sweet soul and gentle demeanor were what was needed to help a very traumatized little girl gain some peace of mind again.”
Topa’s training makes her an excellent disaster search dog, but her loving personality and connection with humans are just as valuable to families in need. Topa is living proof that despite what happened in the past, given a second chance in our program, dogs can go on to do amazing things and be heroes of all kinds!
Good girl, Topa!
