Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8)
Agency: San Diego Fire-Rescue
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Yellow Lab
Sex: Male
Born: January 3, 2020
Recruited from the Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue
Sponsor: Farmers Insurance and an anonymous donor
Gizmo was surrendered to the Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary, where his friendly personality and incredible toy drive caught the staff’s attention. They believed Gizmo might have the potential to be a working dog and contacted SDF. SDF trainers evaluated Gizmo and believed his incredible enthusiasm could develop great potential in him as a search dog.
They were right — Gizmo turned out to be a natural talent who brought intensity to his work, and he quickly advanced through the program, mastering drive work, obedience foundations, and two-victim searches on rubble. Gizmo’s hard work and dedication paid off when he graduated from search training and was paired with firefighter Ivan Arredondo of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and California Task Force 8 on March 30, 2024.
Ivan had always dreamed of becoming a firefighter and first responder. He also found that working with canines in search and rescue operations was incredibly rewarding, so he began volunteering with canine handlers on his task force to become a Canine Search Specialist (CSS). Ivan heard about SDF’s Handler Training Program from other handlers on his task force and decided to apply himself. He met Gizmo during his subsequent visits to SDF, and their bond began to form. As they trained and strengthened their bond as a team, Ivan knew that Gizmo was the perfect fit for him and was thrilled when he learned they would be partners.
Ivan says that bringing Gizmo home and having him as part of his family has been awesome, and he’s excited to help Gizmo “live his best life” and be the happy dog he deserves to be. On the career front, Ivan and Gizmo continued to train together and strengthen their bond as they pursued certification to deploy with their task force in service of their community and the nation.
On February 9, 2025, the team traveled to Riverside, CA, where they successfully achieved FEMA certification to deploy locally in San Diego and across the country as members of California Task Force 8! This is the first major milestone for the team, who will now begin more advanced training to prepare them to go out the door during disasters.
We wish Ivan and Gizmo the best of luck out in the field and will be here supporting them throughout their careers!