Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3)
Agency: San Francisco Fire Department
Level: FEMA Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Labrador
Sex: Female
Born: January 7, 2020
Recruited from Outreach Pawsibilities, Inc.
Sponsors: Beth and Greg Apke, and Jill Bee and Loren Glasser
Named in Honor of former SDF staff member Reva Ferguson
Reva, originally named Ollie, was raised in an apartment. Her former owners did not anticipate her energy level or her size, so they made the decision to surrender her to Outreach Pawsibilities Inc. in Herriman, Utah. After SDF canine recruiter Trevor Lawrence met Reva, he knew she was a candidate for our program when she nearly knocked him over trying to get the toy!
After easily passing her evaluation, Reva jumped on a private plane with volunteer pilot Eliot Alper, thanks to SDF’s partnership with Angel Flight West, made possible by Jeff Moorhouse, who also flew the second leg of Reva’s flight into Santa Paula.
When she arrived at SDF’s campus for search dog training, Reva’s over-the-top toy drive initially caused her to be so overstimulated that she could not process her training and learn the skills she needed as a search dog, but SDF trainers were able to balance that drive and help her “learn how to learn.”
We are honored to have renamed her in memory of one of our own—former SDF staff member Reva Ferguson, who lost her courageous 13-year battle with breast cancer on December 5, 2020. Now, Search Dog Reva will carry on Reva’s legacy, sharing a similar boundless energy, a real love of life every single day, and a small mischievous streak, as she goes on to help save lives.
Reva was paired with veteran SDF handler Garreth Miller, Assistant Deputy Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, on November 12, 2021. Following their official Pairing Ceremony, Reva returned home to Northern California with Garreth to meet his family and first search dog, Vita. In a twist of fate, both dogs are named after human friends to SDF who were good friends of one another!
The new team trained hard with their California Task Force 3 teammates and achieved FEMA certification on April 17, 2022. All canine teams must certify every 3 years to retain their active deployment status with their task force.
Until the call to action comes, Garreth and Reva will continue to train regularly with other Northern California teams, keeping their skills sharp.