Moxie was surrendered to the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai when her original owner was deployed overseas. Within a day, the SDF office had received numerous calls about the petite black Lab that loved her toys!
She did a wonderful job on her search dog candidate evaluation and was soon on her way to SDF’s training kennel to learn the skills she would need for a career in disaster search.
In October 2012, Moxie was partnered with Brent, a firefighter with Oklahoma City Fire and veteran handler with Oklahoma Task Force 1. Shortly after, they were deployed to Moore, OK, in May 2013, for one of the most destructive tornado weather ever seen in the region, including one more than a mile wide. Normally a team would not deploy prior to certification, but Brent and Moxie were prepared and the devastation was so widespread, they were allowed to respond with the rest of the task force and rescuers from the surrounding areas. They would achieve state certification later that year.
In May 2015, Moxie and Brent deployed to a six-day tornado outbreak, searching a large mobile home park to ensure no one was left behind, trapped in the debris.
Moxie lived up to her name throughout her life, but her determination was on full display in 2019, when she was diagnosed with cancer in her leg, forcing the limb to be amputated. While that may have been career-ending for some, Moxie and Brent trained diligently and she was soon back to full duty, successfully and cheerfully searching the rubble with three-paw drive instead of the usual four.
This incredible little girl enjoyed the last couple years training with Brent and enjoying time at home with his family. Unfortunately, Brent began noticing that Moxie was getting winded more easily during searches and began coughing in recent weeks. X-rays revealed something in her lungs and though Brent hoped it was treatable pneumonia, it was determined that the cancer returned. Despite receiving those results just about a week ago, Moxie’s health rapidly declined and Brent had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to his partner.
Thank you so much for your support of Moxie as her sponsor/guardian through the years. It takes a village to recruit, train and support a search dog and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Moxie has left her mark on disaster search and on our hearts – we will all miss her incredibly. Thank you again for all that you’ve done for Moxie and for SDF.
Click here to read Moxie’s tribute in Ventura County Humane Society’s Paws for thought publication.