Six & Nick Bartel

In 2020, Six was generously donated as a puppy by Kolfyre Labs in Wyoming. Since Six was too young to join our training program when he arrived at just three old, he spent his early months being fostered by SDF staff. Being raised by our team, Six had the benefit of coming to SDF’s campus daily, and he learned very early on just how much fun it is to climb on rubble and play search games.

Six was selected to participate in a pilot program in which SDF trained four canines on Human Remains scent detection, which is on the recovery side of a mission, rather than Live-Find, which is on the rescue side and for what SDF has always historically trained search dogs.

On September 28, 2021, Six graduated from SDF’s training program and was paired with firefighter/paramedic Nick Bartel of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The department is rostered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as California Task Force 2 to assist with disaster missions nationwide. They are also one of two U.S. task forces that can deploy globally with the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

The team trained together regularly with their task force teammates and achieved FEMA certification in March 2023. This allows them to deploy with their task force, and they will be re-evaluated every three years. Six and Nick must pursue new training opportunities as frequently as possible to stay prepared for real-world disasters.

To date, Six and Nick have deployed on the following missions:

• August 12, 2023 – Maui Wildfire – Lahaina, HI
• January 19, 2024 – Missing Person Search – Mount Wilson, CA
• June 21, 2024 – Wildfires – New Mexico
• October 3, 2024 – Hurricane Helene – East Coast