On November 8, 2001, the world received the gift of a very special litter of Golden Retriever puppies. A man in upstate New York had bred the litter and was raising them to be hunting dogs. At seven weeks of age, two of the puppies–Sandy and Luke–were adopted by Bicky Townsend of Santa Barbara and her son, Ben Caldwell, who brought them home to California to join their family. Ben took Sandy and Bicky kept Luke.
Both dogs were very energetic and needed a lot of attention. When Ben moved to San Francisco to accept a job, he came to the difficult and emotional realization that he could not keep Sandy. “I couldn’t spend the time with Sandy that I used to; I knew he wouldn’t be happy being home all day by himself.”
Ben’s mom learned about SDF and its mission, and she and Ben both realized that Sandy and Luke would be much better off as working dogs. Former SDF Canine Manager Miki Klocke and SDF Executive Director Debra Tosch met with Bicky, Ben, Luke and Sandy to put the two golden siblings through our canine candidate evaluation. Miki and Debra did not think both dogs would pass–the odds were not good. They were hoping that one would do well enough to be accepted into the SDF program, so you can imagine their great surprise when both Luke and Sandy passed with ease.
“It was very difficult for me to give up Sandy, but it was even more difficult to keep Sandy from doing the work he was meant to do,” Ben said. Sandy was two years old when Ben donated him to SDF. Luke also went on to be trained as a Search Dog, and was eventually partnered with Handler Marc Valentine.
What did dog trainer Kate Davern see in Sandy? She says that Sandy had an amazing On/Off switch. He could be lying peacefully on the floor one minute and be ready to work the next. Sandy also impressed the trainers because he was always willing to try anything, even though his legs would shake while walking across uneven or elevated surfaces in the early days. Another trainer had to stand by on the other end with a toy to coax Sandy across. However, Sandy excelled in direction and control training during his nine months in formal training.
Sandy also had something many of us could use–a lot of patience. When dogs were taken in and out of the kennel, Sandy would never bark or get impatient. He would lie on the grass and wait his turn.
Knowing that Sandy needed to build his confidence and needed someone who would really work with him and give him structure, lead trainer Pluis Davern choose to pair Sandy with South San Francisco Fire Department (SSFFD) Firefighter-Engineer Dave Ramsey. Dave seemed a good fit because he has a very structured life and, although he has a family, his daughters were a little older, giving him the time to devote to Sandy.
Dave has been with SSFFD since 1992. He always had dogs when he was growing up and was considering getting a dog at the time he found out the department was looking into the Disaster Search Dog program. Dave then began training with other Bay Area SDF teams, learning as much as he could about the program and the commitment that was required.
Sandy was just as much a member of the SSFFD as any of the firefighters. “South San Francisco Fire Department USAR K-9” was engraved on the department-issued badge he wore on his collar. At the captain’s discretion, Sandy would ride on the engine when responding to emergency calls. Dave did not usually take Sandy when responding to fire calls because of the likelihood that Sandy would have to stay on the engine for an extended period of time.
In a typical working day, Sandy spent much of his time accompanying Dave as he did his daily check of the engine and performed station maintenance. When this work was finished, and Dave and Sandy were not training, Sandy split his time between the indoor kennel run and his bed in the corner of the day room. The other firefighters enjoyed having Sandy around and gave him a lot of attention, which Sandy loved.
All of the department’s disaster search dogs participated in the annual Day in the Park each September, celebrating the date of the City of South San Francisco’s incorporation, September 19, 1911. The canines demonstrated for the crowds their skill on the agility equipment. In addition, Dave and Sandy would demonstrate moving an injured canine from a disaster site by strapping the 64-pound golden retriever to Dave’s back. Firefighters then lifted Sandy several stories into the air, demonstrating the harness lift.
Sandy also participated in the Annual Junior Fire Academy, a weeklong program held at Station 61 during the summer for elementary- and middle school-aged children. The children got to participate by hiding so that Sandy could search for them.
Dave described Sandy as a great dog and a total love. “He really wants to work hard and train and play, but when we are done he knows it and he’ll lie down and be calm and quiet.” Sandy just seemed to know he had a purpose in life.
At home, Sandy was another family member with Dave, his wife, and their two daughters. But because of Sandy’s job as a disaster Search Dog, Dave immediately set some ground rules for his two young daughters: no feeding Sandy people food and no taking Sandy out or playing with him without permission. Dave’s daughters would also help with Sandy’s training by hiding in the backyard or the house and letting Sandy find them. Another favorite pastime was swimming at a nearby lake.
In July of 2006, Dave and Sandy attained their Certification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This meant that on a moment’s notice they were ready to serve the nation in the event of a disaster.
They got their chance to serve their community shortly after Certification. On July 31, 2006, Dave and Sandy, as well as teammates Tom Carney and Gypsy, were called to Daly City, CA, when the wall of a supermarket collapsed onto a road during the process of demolishing the building. Gypsy and Sandy were able to communicate to Tom and Dave that, luckily, no one was injured or trapped in the rubble.
The team went on to be re-certified in May of 2009, as all teams must re-certify every three years.
November 8, 2012, on his 11th birthday, Sandy celebrated his retirement from the fire department and his life as a Search Dog. He returned home to the Ramsey household that day as a beloved family pet.
He spent the next two years enjoying his time with Dave and his family. It was not until his quality of life became impaired by his old age that the family made the decision to lay Sandy to rest. In an email sent to the foundation on the day Sandy passed, Dave told us:
“It’s with a lot of sadness that I write to let you know that we had to put Sandy down this morning. I have had a lot of conversations these last few weeks with his vet, Dr. Pogrel, and with my family. We all decided that this decision was best for Sandy. He was still a very happy dog on his good days, but his tough days were starting to outweigh the good days. His mind was going and he was unable to enjoy the things he loved doing the most…and we had to come to this very sad decision.
I wish I could have called you to let you know, but unfortunately at this time it’s just too hard to talk about it without getting very emotional. I hope you can understand this and will relay my message to anyone you think needs to know…My family and I feel so fortunate to have been able to work and live with Sandy and for all the support the foundation gave us through his life. We couldn’t have been given a dog that we loved more than Sandy and we will always be grateful to all of you for giving us the chance to have him in our lives.”