Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2)
Agency: Los Angeles County Fire
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Black Lab
Sex: Male
Born: October 16, 2015
Donated by an anonymous donor
Puppy Raiser: Pluis Davern
Sponsors: Mars, Inc., Celeste Matesevac
Named by Nancy Stone
Deacon was donated to SDF and arrived at our National Training Center in Santa Paula, California on December 26, 2016. What a present Deacon turned out to be! The young Black Labrador was as much a natural at disaster search work as we have ever seen!
Within a few weeks of working with him SDF trainers reported, “Deacon is a crack up! He works with SUCH enthusiasm! He is very, very quick and intense, and barks so. He is going to be a rock star search dog.”
Deacon approached each stage of training with the same energy, intelligence, and athleticism, and on September 1, 2017, Deacon was partnered with Captain Mike Toepfer of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As members of California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2), this team is eligible to deploy internationally when disasters strike.
Deacon and Mike focused on training together to achieve Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Certification, which they accomplished in Riverside, CA on March 4, 2018, and again on October 3, 2021.
Throughout their careers the team has deployed on the following missions:
- March 20, 2018 – Mudslide Pre-staging – Santa Barbara, CA
- February 6, 2023 – Earthquake – Türkiye
- October 7, 2024 – Hurricane Milton – Florida
Now, the team continues to train weekly in preparation for the next time they are called upon to help others.