This Black Labrador began his career as a Field Trial dog, but it became clear early on that he was better suited for the field of search and rescue. At about 18 months of age, his owner, Janet Eisen, contacted SDF and let us know she had a potential candidate for us. Ben’s drive and athletic ability were instantly noticed by SDF trainers and his enthusiasm for the search game could nearly pull a handler off their feet as they approached a rubble pile.
It is Ben’s unbelievable amount of drive and his trainability that propelled him through formal training at Sundowners Kennel at record-breaking speed. Ben progressed so quickly that he graduated months ahead of schedule.
In June 2010, Ben was partnered with firefighter Eric Darling of the Boeing Fire Department. Eric learned quickly that Ben is unstoppable when it comes to searching. “You can just see it in his eye… He’s a thinker with a lot of drive,” said Eric. As they began to prepare for their FEMA test, Eric recalled that “It’s going great! Actually being a handler and having Ben is everything I expected and then some.”
And their training together has paid off. After being paired barely one year earlier, Eric and Ben achieved FEMA certification on June 25, 2011, and were eligible to deploy to disasters as members of California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5) based in Orange County.
During this time period with CA-TF5, the team deployed to several missing person searches:
- August 2011 – Casitas Pass, CA
- September 2011 – San Luis Obispo, CA
- February 2012 – Simi Valley, CA
- April 2012 – Fillmore, CA
- January 2013 – San Luis Obispo, CA
- July 2013 – Riverside, CA
Then, on February 8, 2014, Eric and Ben achieved FEMA re-certification in Riverside, CA. Teams must be evaluated every three years in order to maintain their deployment-ready status on a task force. This ensures that the team is able to deploy at a moment’s notice when disaster strikes.
In the same month of their re-certification, Eric, his wife Tracy, and Ben relocated to the Northeast, where Tracy took a new position at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, and Eric and Ben joined Pennsylvania Task Force 1 (PA-TF1). Continuing to work within the FEMA system, Eric and Ben began to assist on the East Coast as needed.
As members of PA-TF1, Ben and Eric deployed on the following missions:
- May 2014 – State College, PA – missing persons
- August 2014 – Ridley Park, PA – missing persons
- March 2015 – Delaware County, PA – missing persons
- September 2015 – Philadelphia, PA – Pope visit pre-staging
- October 2016 – North Carolina – Hurricane Matthew
- September 2017 – Florida – Hurricane Irma
- December 2017 – Delaware County, PA – missing persons
- January 2018 – Delaware County, PA – missing persons
Eric and Ben achieved FEMA certification a third time on January 21, 2017 in Plantation, FL. This allowed them to continue to remain active and available to emergency response teams nationwide.
The Darling family returned to California in 2018 and Eric’s wife, Tracy, joined SDF’s team as our Senior Director of Canine Operations! Eric and Ben re-joined their old teammates on CA-TF5 and got back to work training to deploy in the Southern California region. The team’s final deployment was in June 2020, in SDF’s hometown city of Santa Paula, in search of potential missing persons following an accident. Ben helped establish that no one was unaccounted for.
Ben had successfully been treated for cancer and numerous injuries and illnesses, always bouncing back with fervor and excited to get back to work. Into his adult and senior years, Ben was as boisterous as in his puppy days! He bounced and barked and wanted to play with anyone who was interested. But the softer side of Ben made him an excellent cuddler when he was having quiet moments. He loved a good chest scratch and when Tracy would bring him to SDF’s National Training Center on occasion, Ben was our search dog office mascot.
Eric scheduled Ben’s final search exercise for June 5, 2021, and was planning to officially retire him that day. Unfortunately, two days prior, Ben fell ill and the Darling family had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye. Ben crossed the Rainbow Bridge on June 3, 2021, with Eric and Tracy at his side.
Just a few days later, Ben was posthumously inducted into the California Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) Animal Hall of Fame, with Eric and Tracy accepting the honor on his behalf.
We are eternally grateful to Ben for his 11 years of service to the nation. He was a phenomenal search dog, an amazing working dog ambassador, and an incredible companion, and he will be dearly missed.
