Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5)
Agency: Long Beach Fire
Level: DHS/FEMA Certified
Most Recent Certification: March 4, 2018
Search Dog Info
Breed: Black Lab
Sex: Male
Born: April 16, 2008
Donated by: Barbara Ornbaum
Recruited by: Penny Woodruff
Prep Home: Karen Klingberg
Sponsor: Diane Erdelyi
Guardian: Sandy Flanagan
One day in the summer of 2008, Penny Woodruff, an SDF volunteer from Graeagle, CA, received word from a friend about a Labrador breeder in Central California needing to place one of her puppies. The breeder had a reputation for producing high-drive field trial and duck hunting dogs – exactly the type of dogs the Search Dog Foundation (SDF) looks for.
Penny called then SDF Canine Manager Karen Klingberg to see if she was interested in a puppy. SDF doesn’t normally accept puppies because it’s difficult to tell at that age if the animal has all the characteristics needed in a Search Dog. But when Karen heard that this puppy was from champion field trial and duck hunting breeding, she felt his chances of completing the training were better than average.
So Karen jumped in the car and made the eight-hour drive north to the town of Fairfield. Penny met her there, and they were greeted by Barbara Ornbaun, the puppy’s breeder. When Karen and Penny got to the puppy run, three Black Lab puppies, only about three months old, came charging out of the pen to greet them. They were so excited to have company!
Barbara singled out Rex, a wild-eyed boy running in circles and jumping up, full of life and fun. It had recently rained and everyone was soon covered in mud. Karen picked him up and tried to hold him, but he would have none of it! He wiggled and squirmed and wanted down to run some more.
When Barbara learned that Rex would be under the supervision of SDF’s Lead Trainer Pluis Davern, a trainer renowned in the dog world, she was thrilled. It turns out that Barbara and Pluis have been friends for many years and Barbara was very happy to know that Rex would be in her care, receiving the very best instruction.
Once home, Karen played endless retrieving and tugging games with Rex, giving him loads of positive reinforcement. Pluis advised her against any high retrieves. “Keep the toy low,” she said. “If he looks up and a bird catches his attention, he may focus on the bird and not the toy. After all, he’s a duck-hunter!”
From that moment on, Karen’s life changed. Everything she did, wanted to do, or thought of doing, revolved around Rex. He was a mischievous boy who took over her household and everything in it, but would still respect lines that were drawn. He went everywhere with Karen: to the SDF office, on her long Canine Recruitment trips up and down California and to several SDF training events.
By November of 2008, Rex was old enough to be evaluated by Pluis. The moment of truth came, and there was no doubt of this boy’s future as a Search Dog. Karen had to say goodbye to her wild-eyed boy, but left feeling confident that he would make it all the way.
In October of 2009, Rex was partnered with Wade Haller of the Long Beach Fire Department, a first-time SDF handler. They trained intensively and in April of 2010, just six months after being paired, Wade and Rex achieved their FEMA Certification in Las Vegas, NV. Teams must undergo FEMA evaluations every three years in order to maintain their deployment-ready status at the nation’s highest level, so in February 2013, and then again in January 2016, Rex and Wade attained Re-Certification. The team continues to train intensively with their task force in order to be prepared should disaster strike.