Team Info
Task Force: Oklahoma Task Force 1 (Oklahoma City)
Agency: Oklahoma City Fire
Level: In training
Search Dog Info
Breed: Lab
Sex: Male
Born: January 11, 2020
Atlas is a big boy with a lot of energy, and his owners found it difficult to manage a dog with his amount of strength and liveliness. To their credit, they had been working with a professional trainer to make Atlas’ behavior more manageable. Still, recognizing Atlas’ potential as a working/sporting dog, the trainer convinced the owners to let him try to find a more suitable placement. He posted about Atlas on Facebook, catching the attention of both SDF and our career change partners at Working Dogs for Conservation.
Working Dogs for Conservation didn’t have room for another dog then, so they suggested Atlas be placed with SDF – it seems it was just meant to be!
Despite being one of our largest dogs, Atlas is the bounciest. He still sometimes acts like a big puppy, running around with his toy and celebrating his latest accomplishment. Atlas is a character who always makes people laugh with his silly antics and funny sounds while waiting for his turn to search. Although he can be a big goofball, he’s serious when it comes to work, and he impressed us with his persistence, especially when working complex search scenarios.
On June 3, 2023, Atlas was partnered with Jarod Freeman of Oklahoma City Fire Department and Oklahoma Task Force 1. Together, they train regularly and are working toward certification and eventual deployment.