Lola, a Black Labrador Retriever, began her saga as so many of our dogs do – at a shelter. Lola was on 24-hour euthanasia alert, meaning she had just that amount of time left to be adopted.
She was sick with kennel cough, a common contagious illness among shelter dogs, but one that can turn deadly if left untreated. A local rescue group stepped in and rescued her, but had no foster home lined up for her while she recovered from her illness.
Early in September 2005, the rescue turned to the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center in the Bay Area for help. They asked the Center to board Lola for a short time while they looked for an appropriate foster home. Dr. James Pogrel, a veterinarian at the Center, was with his last appointment for the day when he received their request. “We could not keep her at the hospital, but I could foster her,” he recalls, “She was a good looking dog with a little too much energy.”
Once in the Pogrel home, it was evident that Lola was not going to be an easy foster. Dr. Pogrel’s wife didn’t feel comfortable with her because of her hyperactivity, so she put Lola into training to make her more manageable. The trainer worked with Lola for two weeks and reported that she would be a great dog, but only if she was worked every day – she needed a job.
Dr. Pogrel cares for several SDF search dogs in the South San Francisco Bay Area, and is aware of the type of dogs SDF looks for. It seemed natural that Lola should try out for a job as a Search Dog.
Shortly after Dr. Pogrel’s revelation, Lola was enrolled in the SDF canine “boot camp” at Sundowners Kennels in Gilroy, CA. Lola had everything she needed to be a Search Dog – high drive, plenty of energy, and she would retrieve all day. Kate Davern, one of the Search Dog trainers, recalls, “Lola was an independent cuss, obstinate and happily stubborn.”
In May 2006, Lola was paired with firefighter-handler, Johnny Subia, of the Seaside Fire Department. Lola returned home with Johnny and they began to build the bond necessary for successful teams by training daily.
In September 2007, Johnny and Lola passed their Foundational Skills Assessment and in February 2008, they became FEMA certified. Back at the hotel on the day they certified, Johnny gave Lola permission to get up on the bed as a treat. Johnny says Lola got the cutest look on her face that seemed to say, “I don’t know what I did, but obviously it made you very happy.”
Lola and Johnny have logged plenty of air miles together. They routinely attended veterinary conferences on behalf of their corporate sponsor, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BI), the makers of Metacam. They regularly visited Las Vegas and Florida, and have also traveled to BI conferences in Missouri and Virginia. Lola served as a great ambassador for her fellow Search Dogs at such events – encouraging the general public to learn more about the special work she is trained to do.
After achieving FEMA Re-Certification again in 2011, the team maintained their deployment-ready status, standing by to assist those in need at a moment’s notice. Johnny made the decision to retire his faithful partner when her Certification ran out on March 22, 2014, at the age of 10. She now enjoys her retirement years as Johnny’s pet, with a more relaxing schedule and some liberties that she may not have been allowed to take as a working dog.
Johnny reports that everyone at the firehouse loved to see Lola at work and he and Lola received great support from the Department and from their Chief. No matter how much everyone else loves Lola, no one thinks as highly of her as her handler. As Johnny says, “She’s my girl.”
Sadly, in March of 2015, Lola was diagnosed with liver and pancreatic cancer. Johnny kept her happy and comfortable until she crossed Rainbow Bridge on May 15, 2015. Lola will be greatly missed.