Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2)
Agency: Los Angeles County Fire Department
Level: FEMA Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Belgian Malinois
Sex: Male
Born: January 4, 2017
Donated by: Private Donor in Malibu, CA
Sponsor: The Joel and Dena Gambord Family, Nanci Denney Bergin and Nicole Lallande
Advanced Care Systems (ACS) owner Joseph “Joe” Cinnante of Phoenix, Arizona brought Sonny to the Search Dog Foundation after a chance meeting with Canine Recruitment Manager Sylvia Stoney. An enthusiastic Belgian Malinois, Sonny was on the path to becoming a protection dog but was reconsidered due to his kind nature. While he may not want to chase bad guys all day, he still has all the character traits required of a high drive working dog. Joe donated Sonny to SDF’s program in January of 2018 and he impressed our training staff from day one.
It was clear that Sonny was an excellent Search Dog candidate from the beginning. He was very well focused with a ton of drive and picked things up quickly. His breed is known to be naturally athletic, and Sonny is no exception.
Unfortunately, Sonny suffered a shoulder injury due to his high energy that had him sitting it out on the bench for a couple months, while his canine classmates continued to train without him. Once he had rested a sufficient amount of time, Sonny began to hit SDF’s new fitness and conditioning gym under the supervision of our Director of Canine Operations, Tracy Darling. SDF wanted to begin strengthening his muscles before he jumped back into training.
Tracy spent considerable time with Sonny and they grew quite attached to one another as his shoulder was rehabilitated. Tracy says, “Sonny’s so smart that he was able to learn many exercises. His incredible energy and willingness to learn allowed us to get him back into top physical shape. When working with Sonny, he makes you feel like you’re the only one in the room.”
His shoulder healed and given professional medical clearance, Sonny jumped back into search training and has been a force of nature ever since. He is quick on the rubble and gives a strong bark alert when he locates the “victim” hidden on the pile. Sonny is awe-inspiring to watch work.
On October 26, 2018, Sonny graduated from SDF’s program and was paired with Firefighter Specialist Mike Devine of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The new team trained intensely and were able to achieve FEMA Certification in an astounding four months!
The team participates extensively in training exercises with California Task Force 2—even joining forces with search teams across the country and flying on helicopters during disaster simulation training, focusing on deployment readiness for the teams, dubbed USA-1 and USA-2 when deployed internationally by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).
We know they will be ready when they are sent to their first deployment! These two may be newly paired but their dedication and consistent training will keep them ready to respond at a moment’s notice.