Team Info
Task Force: California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8)
Agency: Santee Fire Department (Heartland Fire Rescue)
Level: Certified
Search Dog Info
Breed: Lab Mix
Sex: Male
Born: April 22, 2016
Recruited from the Haven Humane Society
Recruited by Kirsten Fulk
Sponsor: Patricia Snyder
Manny was part of a court case and was in protective custody while his owner was on trial for criminal charges. The owner received a life-term prison sentence, and Manny was released from custody and placed on Haven Humane Society’s adoption list. During the shelter’s assessment of Manny, they realized that he possessed an intense drive for a ball, so they immediately contacted Kirsten Fulk, who recruited dogs from shelters and dog breed rescues for SDF.
Kirsten ran the dog through our FEMA-based testing process and believed he had the innate character traits required to be a live find urban disaster search and rescue canine. She called SDF’s Manager of Canine Recruitment, Sylvia Stoney, and began planning to transport him down to our National Training Center for an official evaluation. Manny met SDF trainers on June 1, 2017, and passed each portion of the evaluation with ease.
Manny was a strong dog throughout his training program and when it got closer to the day he would be graduating our program, we knew it was time to honor him with a new name, since SDF gives every search dog an individual name and a beloved Border Collie on California Task Force 1 had already been named Manny. Staff brainstormed new names that might simultaneously remember people who have made an impact.
Several months earlier, SDF was fortunate to connect with Lt. Col. Edward W. Powers of the U.S. Marine Corps and had discussed SDF-trained canine teams from California Task Force 2 who had deployed to Nepal in April of 2015 at the same time as one of his units. At the time, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had devastated the area, and the U.S. had deployed resources to aid people there. On May 12, 2005, a U.S. military helicopter crashed while on an earthquake relief mission in the Himalayas. 6 U.S. Marines and 3 Nepalese soldiers lost their lives that day while serving others.
We invited Lt. Col. Powers to speak with the Marines under his command and, to honor the men who lost their lives that day, send us some name suggestions for our canines in-training. They suggested the name Victor in honor of the crew’s mission call-sign at the time they crashed: “Victor Echo 1”. It was clear that Manny was the perfect dog to be named “Victor,” carrying on the bravery and integrity of those lost.
Victor was paired with first-time handler Billy Walkenhorst of California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8), based in San Diego, in our April 2018 graduation ceremony.
A Firefighter/Paramedic with the City of Santee Fire Department, Billy and Victor were a natural team during their two-week Handler Course at SDF’s National Training Center. The trainers appreciated how well they worked together, and it was an easy decision to make them official partners. After graduation, Victor moved to San Diego to live with Billy’s family, and they began to train for the next phase of their careers.
Together, Billy and Victor achieved FEMA Certification in October 2018, and again in June 2022, which allowed them to deploy as members of CA-TF8 when disaster strikes.
When Hurricane Helene struck the Gulf Coast and made her way inland as a Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024, Chad and Cory deployed with CA-TF8 the following day to assist communities devastated by flooding. We wish them all the best of luck on a successful mission and safe return.
To-date, the team has been sent on the following missions:
- September 3, 2019 – Hurricane Dorian – NC & FL
- January 27, 2020 – Vehicle Crash – San Diego, CA
- March 29, 2021 – Structure Collapse – San Diego, CA
- September 27, 2024 – Hurricane Helene – FL
We are incredibly proud of what Victor and Billy have achieved already as members of CA-TF8 and look forward to continuing watching their careers unfold!