Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2)
Agency: Los Angeles County Fire
Level: FEMA Certified
Most Recent Certification: October 16, 2020
Search Dog Info
Breed: Black Labrador
Sex: Male
Born: March 13, 2017
Recruited from: a Private Donor in Lincolnton, GA
Recruited by: Greg Strickland
Geno’s owner had high hopes for championship titles in the world of field trial competition, but this rambunctious and eager black Labrador was too excited while on the job! Geno could not stop himself from barking in excitement, and his owner knew Geno was just too loud to do well in that discipline.
Luckily, Geno’s owner reached out to SDF, and recruiter Greg Strickland evaluated Geno and coordinated his transportation to our National Training Center (NTC) in California. Geno passed his evaluation and entered our search dog training program as a strong candidate. At the time, SDF Training Manager Mandy Tisdale said, “Geno is everybody’s best friend. He is a joyful and happy guy who starts every day saying, ‘My life is amazing! What am I going to get to do today?’ He loves to work and was born for search and rescue.”
Long before Geno came to the NTC, Los Angeles County Firefighter/Paramedic Sean Quigley heard stories from his father about deploying to New York City in the aftermath of 9/11. Growing up hearing about the heroic work of the two- and four-legged rescuers at Ground Zero, Sean decided that he wanted a career helping people on their worst days. After ten years as a first responder, Sean began taking steps to become a Canine Search Specialist and making his dream a reality by being matched with a canine partner of his own.
Once selected as a Handler Candidate for California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2), Sean traveled to the NTC occasionally for over a year, establishing a foundation as a canine handler by working with our training staff and several of SDF’s canine candidates. Impressed by Geno’s energy and enthusiasm for the search, Sean was elated when he was paired with Geno on September 27, 2019, during a graduation ceremony at the NTC!
Upon returning home together, Sean and Geno continued to train, both in their firehouse and back on our campus. Due to the global pandemic, access to training exercises was affected, but the duo worked hard and achieved certification with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on October 16, 2020. FEMA certification allows teams to deploy to disaster zones with their task forces, which means that Geno and Sean are now on active duty and ready to respond when called upon.
Their dedication and training will be called upon to assist with rescue efforts from a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey, Syria, and the surrounding region early on February 6, 2023.