In May of 2015, SDF Handler Trevor Lawrence contacted our training staff about a potential canine candidate he had located in his home state of Utah. Trevor had located homeless canine Charlie at Companion Golden Retriever Rescue (CGRR) in West Jordan, UT, and was a maniac for the toy. After shooting video of Charlie, SDF Mater Trainer Sonja Heritage gave the thumbs-up to make sure that Charlie was medically capable of urban disaster search and rescue work, and then to get him on a plane to California!
Our contact at the rescue, Debbie Belcher told us, “(We) don’t know much about Charlie’s start in life. The woman who contacted us had gotten him from someone who posted a local ad. She said Charlie was in a crate, and she got the feeling he was penned up a lot.
“Charlie was a house dog but unfortunately, these people did nothing to socialize him……didn’t take him for walks, didn’t socialize him with other dogs…I have often wondered if that is why Charlie became so ball focused.”
It seems like Charlie was not with that family long before he was dropped off at the shelter. Debbie continued, “Once his quarantine was up at the shelter,
we (CGRR) were able to get him. While he was here, he was never really a typical Golden that came to you for attention – it was always about ‘the ball.’ We feel Charlie had never really bonded with any human.
“We really hope Charlie gets the home he deserves. He is a good dog, and we are so happy you guys took him in.”
After spending several months learning the skills required to be a Search Dog, Charlie graduated from SDF’s training program on May 27, 2016. He was partnered with Fire Protection Specialist Chris Johnson of the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and became a member of New York Task Force 2 based in Albany.
Unfortunately, things did not work out with Chris and Charlie returned home to the National Training Center a year later. After a very short time with SDF again, Charlie was re-paired with veteran handler, Captain Marc Valentine of the Montebello Fire Department and California Task Force 5 based in Orange County.
Charlie returned home with Marc and the new team achieved Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in January of 2018 but, unfortunately, they did not have a chance to deploy together.
On an early February morning, Search Dog Charlie crossed the Rainbow Bridge after experiencing an emergency related to an underlying medical issue. Sadly, after collapsing in the backyard at home, handler Marc Valentine took Charlie to the emergency vet, where he passed away as they were taking x-rays to determine the cause of the collapse. Additional testing will be done to learn more about what happened. Charlie will always have a place in our hearts and we will all miss him incredibly.