In July of 2009, Labrador breeder Nancy King of Canyon Country, CA responded to a Search Dog Foundation article in the Retriever News. Nancy had a 1-year-old Chocolate Labrador that was evaluated for Search Dog potential. In the process, 8-week-old Haley was discovered, and Nancy generously donated her to SDF. Haley went to live at an approved SDF prep home, which had the unique opportunity of preparing a puppy for the Search Dog training program.
In February of 2010, Haley was old enough to begin her formal training at Sundowners Kennel, but she still had not outgrown her puppy charm. Lead Trainer Pluis Davern says this charming girl is a “fearless little searching machine. She was started early and it shows. She is very focused.” Trainer Kate Davern added, “She’s a bombshell of energy.”
The only thing that distracted Haley from her work was fluttery objects, such as birds or butterflies. Fortunately, the trainers were prepared to do bird avoidance training with Haley and it worked.
“We actually had her do a search in a barn full of pigeons,” said Kate. “She’s at the point now where she doesn’t even seem to notice birds if she’s working.”
On September 24, 2010, Haley graduated and was paired with veteran handler, Captain Linda D’Orsi of the Chula Vista Fire Department, and became a member of California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8). The team trained diligently and achieved FEMA Certification in November of 2011, enabling them to deploy with their task force anywhere in the nation that disaster may strike.
In August 2017, Linda and Haley were sent on their first mission when they were deployed to Texas after Hurricane Harvey swept through, devastating large parts of the region. They were just one of dozens of urban disaster canine search teams assigned across the eastern side of the state to help citizens.
Only a month later, they deployed a second time following Hurricane Irma, a category 4 hurricane which made landfall over the Virgin Islands and Florida. Linda and Haley spent nearly two weeks on the East Coast with thousands of first responders and military personnel. They returned home once all citizens were accounted for.
Linda and Haley’s third and final deployment was on August 22, 2018, as Hurricane Lane headed for Hawaii. Linda and Haley were one of 3 SDF-trained teams deployed to assist rescue efforts after Lane passed by the islands. Though it never made landfall in Hawaii, officials prepared for the residual water damage and possibly deadly surges that would affect people there. The team spent nearly a week with fellow CA-TF8 members Brent Brainard & Decker before returning home to San Diego.
In San Diego, Haley and Linda continued to train regularly with their teammates, helping to show the newer search teams how it’s done until, at the age of 12, Haley retired from the task force on July 2, 2021. She spent her well-earned retirement years as a beloved pet in Linda’s home. Linda retired from Chula Vista Fire Department but remained a civilian member of CA-TF8 with her new partner Hopper. We would regularly get to see Haley when Linda would visit the NTC with both her girls.
Haley peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge on December 2, 2022. Her life and service will be honored at SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall. We are grateful for the time we had with this sweet girl, for all she did for her community and the joy she brought our lives.