Diesel comes to us—donated by a private owner in New Prague, Minnesota—from a long line of purebred dogs in Mexico. Initially named Junior and brought to the US for a career as a police dog, this German Shepherd/Malinois mix was dropped from that track due to his mixed-breed background. This was great news for SDF, as he had some basic training prior to coming to us, so he quickly understood what was asked of him during his evaluation, and he passed with ease!
Named by SDF supporter Karen B. Winnick, Diesel was named in honor of the French police dog who was killed during a raid on suspected terrorists during a siege in Paris. Posthumously awarded for his actions, the Belgian Malinois was given the Dickin Medal for gallantry from animal charity PDSA. Two people also died during the raid, including the main perpetrator of the November 13, 2015, attacks on the French capital, which killed 130 people.
Diesel is a whizz on the rubble—with an amazing personality and unstoppable toy drive! Diesel had been trained in a household with other dogs so he is both friendly and driven—all the desired characteristics of a Search and Rescue Dog!Since beginning training in June, Diesel is doing great—he’s “top
dog” of all our candidates in the kennel! He has taken to training very well and is a lot of fun as he is growing out of his adolescence. This Malinois mix is really good on the rubble and seems to enjoy the search tremendously—relishing the praise when he finds his victim. We hope to Diesel ready for our next Graduation in January!
Read more about the dog who heroically inspired Diesel’s name here.
