Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2)
Agency: Los Angeles County Fire
Level: FEMA Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: German Shepherd
Sex: Male
Born: October 1, 2018
Recruited by Charlie Freeman
Donated by Private Donor in Lillington, NC
Sponsors: Carol George and Roger Stewart
When his original owners in North Carolina brought him home as a 7-week-old puppy it soon became clear that Mattis was not a good fit for their family due to his high energy, toy drive, and his owner’s recent life changes. They shared that Mattis is very friendly and good with kids and other dogs, but he is so obsessed with the rope toy that he will not stop to eat or drink as long as the rope is in play. All of these traits made Mattis a perfect fit for a career as a search dog!
A close friend of Mattis’ original owner contacted SDF after discovering us through her research into working dog organizations. After passing his initial evaluation with Recruiter Charlie Freeman, Mattis hitched a ride with fellow Recruiter Holley Murray on her cross-country road trip to SDF’s National Training Center in December of 2019, along with two other new candidates.
Mattis consistently performed well throughout his training at SDF and easily won the hearts of our staff. He graduated on December 11, 2020, when he was paired with Nicholas Medina, a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The new team trained diligently with their California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) teammates and achieved FEMA certification on October 3, 2021. This certification, which teams are required to renew every three years, allows them to deploy to disasters, both foreign and domestic, with CA-TF2.
Until the call comes for Mattis to search in an official capacity, he and Nick continue to train with their teammates in preparation.