Just before 8 p.m. on June 18, 2020, Handler Eric Darling received a call from the Ventura County Fire Department to assist in confirming no one was left behind after a fire in a drainage pipe in Santa Paula, CA. The tube is a space known to be used as a shelter by the homeless in the area, so it needed to be thoroughly checked.
Eric responded with his two FEMA certified search dogs -- Mazie, a human remains detection canine, and Ben, a 12-year-old SDF-trained live find canine. Because the fire department was unsure if anyone was in the area or the pipe at the time of the fire, Eric would be able to check for both survivors and anyone deceased.
After checking the scene for safety, Eric released Ben first. The veteran search dog cleared the tunnels and confirmed that no one was left alive. Mazie followed shortly after, following a similar path, without alerting, meaning she, too, confirmed that no one was deceased in the search area.
Both canines searched well and made quick work of their mission. Eric shared that this may well be Ben's last deployment as he recently completed his fourth FEMA Certification in February and is already past the age when most search dogs retire.
Eric shared his thoughts on the deployment and reflections on his and Ben's impressive career, spanning a decade and 15 deployments together:
On June 19, Ben and I may have completed our last deployment as a team. Ben is still very healthy and still excels at his job as a disaster search canine. The difference now is that Ben is almost 12 ½ years young, and still the most amazing partner I could ask for.
Interestingly, ten years and 19 days prior to this search, Ben and I were paired as a team by the Search Dog Foundation over the Memorial Day weekend of 2010.
The support by SDF during my career has been amazing. But not just by the staff and trainers—the amazing donors have also made this journey what it has been.
To know there are people that want to help by being a donor or sponsor, supporting a handler and canine they have never met is just so heartwarming. All of you have become part of the team each time we go out to training or deploy.
Every time we go out the door to work, I know that I am not only representing SDF, my task force, and the United States, but also each supporter. It is a badge of honor to have this responsibility and something I do not take lightly.
As anyone who has met him knows, Ben is a very unique dog and has a mind of his own. I would not have wanted any other partner and cannot imagine life without him. Here’s to more time with Ben, searching until he decides on his own that it’s time to retire.
Then, and only then, will he maybe, somehow slow down.
