Marc and his littermates, Doc and Mocha, were born on March 22, 1999. The three chocolate Labradors were initially candidates for the Guide Dogs of America (GDA) program—but they all had too much energy to be Guide Dogs. It was very unusual for GDA to have so many puppies from a litter needing a career change, but they knew just who to call. High-energy, bold, determined dogs are what the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is always seeking!
David and Debbie Junod of Ojai were chosen to be Marc’s SDF “prep home” and welcomed him into their lives when he was six months old. On their large property, Marc was difficult to contain. He was extremely active, loving, people-oriented, friendly, and intelligent. David said Marc was very aware and obedient when he understood what was wanted of him. Marc often played with the Junods’ other dog, Maggie, and the two formed a fun friendship.
At Sundowners Kennel in Gilroy, California, where SDF trained its dogs until 2013, Marc and his siblings were called the “Chocolate” litter. They were all very vocal and had high drive, often spinning in circles with great exuberance and excitement. The entire litter would “talk” on the rubble pile, and the sibling rivalry among these littermates would spur them on.
Disaster search dogs must be able to move confidently in the uneasy environment of a disaster site. At first, these dogs lacked confidence in their footing when on moving or unstable surfaces. With the guidance of our training staff at Sundowners and their natural boldness, the dogs persevered and overcame their initial wariness. After six months at Sundowners, in December 2000, lead trainer Pluis Davern partnered Marc with Steve Pendergrass, a Kern County firefighter.
Steve and Marc received both their Basic and Advanced Certification from FEMA in Urban Search and Rescue and were eager to put their skills to the test. They were put on standby status for Florida’s Hurricane Charlie—but were not needed then. In 2005, they were sent along with 26 other SDF disaster search teams to help with rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Marc’s great strength was his ability to search. Steve had to take five months off in 2004 to recover from a burn he suffered and could not train with Marc during that time. Thanks to the support of SDF’s training group in Kern (made up of four other SDF teams) and our canine prep home volunteers Bob and Peggy Seay, Marc continued to train until Steve fully recovered from his injury. This enabled Steve and Marc to jump back into their team training once Steve returned to duty.
Steve described Marc as a “great partner” whose biggest challenge was overcoming his handler’s shortcomings! Steve was proud of Marc, and we were proud of them and all the Kern County training group members.
Marc lived with the Pendergrass family until he peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge on January 27, 2012.