Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7)
Agency: Sacramento Fire Department
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Yellow Lab
Sex: Male
Born: September 30, 2015
Recruited from Private Donor
Sponsor: The Joel and Dena Gambord Family
Bear was donated to SDF by a private citizen in Northern California who felt he needed a job. It was the Sacramento urban search and rescue team, California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7), who saw an advertisement for Bear online, identified his potential and helped to recruit him for SDF’s program.
In April 2017, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF), officially tested Bear for this type of work. Having passed our evaluation, Bear began his new life at our National Training Center (NTC) in Santa Paula, CA. Throughout SDF’s training, Bear has blossomed into a wonderful search dog.
On February 2, 2018, Bear was partnered with Paul Januario of the Sacramento Fire Department. Interested in working with search dogs since the beginning of his career in 2002, Paul said he was excited to transition from helping with drills to having his own search dog. Following their pairing at the NTC, the team returned home to Sacramento in preparation for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certification and eventual deployment.
Bear and Paul first achieved certification in Phoenix, AZ in March 2019. Three years later, they traveled to Riverside, CA , and re-certified in November 2022. This enables them to deploy as members of CA-TF7 when disasters strike nationwide.
Until the call comes, the team trains weekly with their teammates and stand by ready to serve the citizens of Sacramento and the U.S.