As an accomplished escape artist, Elvis was notorious in his previous family’s neighborhood. After a neighbor threatened the life of the wandering Chocolate Lab, Elvis’ family decided they had to give him up.
Elvis arrived at Santa Barbara Animal Care and Control in Santa Maria, CA in April of 2008 and quickly impressed the shelter staff with his boundless energy and ball obsession. The vigilant shelter staff immediately called SDF Canine Recruiter Heidi Miller, who tested Elvis and introduced him to SDF.
Elvis spent 6 months in formal training at Sundowners Kennel in Gilroy, CA, where all of SDF’s search dogs were trained at that time. He was paired with Oklahoma City firefighter Chet Clark on November 10, 2008. Once back in Oklahoma with his new partner, Elvis continued to be an escape artist, but a well-trained one! Chet and his wife Darla cared for Elvis at their home in Meeker, OK. His new family included Boomer the Beagle and Pearl, a cockatiel.
Chet and Elvis achieved their first major career milestone as a team in September of 2010 when they achieved Type II Certification within the State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR) system. Certification allowed the team to deploy throughout the state of Oklahoma and the surrounding region as members of Oklahoma Task Force 1.
In May of 2013 the team deployed with their task force teammates to the tornado devastated city of Moore, OK. The teams and other first responders searched tirelessly for three days until the governor determined that all citizens had been accounted for.
A month later, the team achieved SUSAR Re-Certification in Tulsa, OK, alongside many of their teammates. Teams are assessed every three years in order to maintain their deployment-ready status. Chet and Elvis vigilantly participated in search team training with their task force teammates so that they would be ready should the call come again for them to respond to a disaster.
On July 1, 2015 Elvis officially retired from the Oklahoma City Fire Department and Oklahoma Task Force 1. He transitioned to life as a pet in the Clark home and remained Chet’s best friend. In retirement, Elvis continued to enjoy playing fetch with his favorite ball and spending time with a family who loved him entirely.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 when a tumor appeared on a rear leg but he won the battle and spent another two and a half years enjoying life. Sadly, the tumor reappeared in 2020 and, at 14 years of age, Elvis crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Chet was there to comfort his partner and friend, and wish him a final farewell.
We are incredibly grateful to Elvis for his years of service to the people of Oklahoma. His life and career will be honored on SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall at our National Training Center in California.