Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8)
Agency: San Diego Fire-Rescue
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Belgian Malinois
Sex: Female
Born: September 7, 2015
Donated by the Simental Family
Sponsor: The Joel and Dena Gambord Family
Delta joined our training program in February 2017 and is an incredible athlete! It was her owner, whose family lives near to our National Training Center in Santa Paula, CA, that contacted SDF about evaluating Delta for this line on work. Due to life changes, her owner did not have the time to dedicate to a dog, but it was clear that she did a wonderful job raising Delta, as she is well-mannered and a lot of fun!
Delta’s previous owner explained to SDF staff, “Rather than give her to a shelter or place her with a family that might not be a perfect match for the type of dog that she is, I would prefer to find her a new home where she can have a true job and fulfilling life.” While it can be extremely difficult to make the selfless decision to give up your dog, in a situation like this one for Delta, it can be the best choice for the canine.
She brought Delta to the NTC and SDF staff evaluated her for our program. Delta did fantastic! She passed each portion of the test with ease and was easily accepted then donated to SDF so she could begin formal training.
Delta did wonderfully in our training program and the previous owner would come by occasionally to watch the young Belgian Malinois at work. Within the first month, SDF Trainer Emily Fisk shared with the rest of staff, “She is such a joy to work with! She is smart and thoughtful. She searches very methodically and has improved the loudness of her bark quite a bit!” Delta was training on the rubble in no time and flew over rubble with each time she covered the pile.
Delta was paired with Lt. Dane Yaw of the Oklahoma City Fire Department on September 1, 2017. Dane was a veteran SDF handler, and his search dog Salsa was preparing to retire from Oklahoma Task Force 1. Unfortunately, Dane suffered a back injury shortly after being paired with Delta and he ended up retiring with Salsa.
A beautiful athlete and talented search dog, SDF had no trouble finding Delta a new partner back home in California! She was paired on March 15, 2018, with veteran handler, Battalion Chief Aide Barbat of San Diego Fire-Rescue. Delta is Aide’s third live-find search dog and the new team achieved FEMA certification together on October 28, 2018, and again on October 21, 2021, in Riverside, California.
Together, the team has deployed to the following missions:
- September 3, 2019 – Hurricane Dorian – NC & FL
- January 27, 2020 – Vehicle Crash – San Diego, CA
- April 14, 2020 – Bluff Collapse – San Diego, CA
- March 29, 2021 – Structure Collapse – San Diego, CA