Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5)
Agency: Long Beach Fire Department
Level: DHS/FEMA Certified
Most Recent Certification: October 16, 2020
Search Dog Info
Breed: Black Labrador
Sex: Male
Born: April 22, 2016
Donated by Private Donor in Manifee, CA
Named in honor of the Dallas police officers who lost their lives on July 7, 2016
Sponsor: The Joel and Dena Gambord Family
Dallas is a Black Labrador whose potential stood out very early to John Thomas, a former firefighter and California Task Force 6 member based in Riverside, CA. John was paired with SDF-trained canine Mocha in 2002, and the team deployed several times, including to the Gulf States following Hurricane Katrina. She has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but John has had several working dogs over the years, trained in either Live Find or Human Remains Detection. Having raised Dallas since he was a puppy with a career in Urban Search & Rescue in mind, Dallas was to be John’s newest canine partner.
However, in the fall of 2017, John contacted SDF because he had decided to officially retire from California Task Force 6. He thought that Dallas would succeed in SDF’s program and wanted to see him live out his potential and serve our nation’s citizens.
Working with our training staff, Dallas gained confidence on the rubble pile, finding his footing and pushing through challenges with his high drive. On October 26, 2018, Dallas officially graduated from SDF and was partnered with Wade Haller of the Long Beach Fire Department and California Task Force 5, based in Orange County. The team trained hard with their task force teammates to sharpen their skills and attain FEMA certification. They were originally certified in October 2020 and then again in May 2023. Dallas and Wade are on standby twenty-four hours a day for when the call comes to help their community.