In January of 2011, SDF received a call from volunteer Andrea Bergquist (whose husband Chris was a handler with California Task Force 7 based in Sacramento), letting us know that she had discovered an excellent Search Dog candidate at the Sacramento SPCA.
Lilah, a one-year-old Black Lab, had been picked up as a stray by the shelter. She was suffering from kennel cough and described as “friendly but skinny.” Andrea evaluated Lilah for search and rescue work. The dog passed the test with ease and was transported her to Sundowners Kennels in Gilroy to begin her training.
It was clear that Lilah loved her new job! She quickly completed training and in August of 2011 was partnered with firefighter-handler Marshia Hall of Temple Terrace Fire, a veteran member of Florida Task Force 4. Her Search Dog Trapper would be preparing for retirement soon and Lilah would take his place on the team.
Coincidentally, around the same time Lilah was in training at Sundowners, Marshia had helped SDF to recruit a beautiful Golden Retriever named Kari from a family in Florida that was not able to properly care for their high drive pet. Upon graduation in December of 2011, Kari was partnered with Andrea’s husband, Chris Bergquist of the Sacramento City Fire Department. From a distance of 3,000 miles, these two SDF Handlers managed to help one another to be partnered with their future teammates!
Marshia and her “wild child,” as she affectionately calls Lilah, achieved State Urban Search and Rescue (SUSAR) Type II Certification in March of 2012, which allowed them to deploy in their region. The following month they earned their advanced Type I Certification.
By October of 2012, Marshia and Lilah were able to put all their hard work and skills to use when a young child went missing in Temple Terrace, FL. The boy was eventually found and Marshia enjoyed being able to see what her new partner was capable of under the stress of a real deployment.
Their skills were tested again on May 17, 2014, when a nine-year-old girl was reported missing from a house practically across the street from Marshia’s fire station. The girl was visiting the area with her grandma, who had taken her to a friend’s house, when she disappeared. Marshia responded to the scene with both of her search dogs –Trapper and Lilah– and worked the area based on each dog’s strengths. Trapper cleared the inside of the buildings nearby while Lilah searched the outside wilderness areas. Marshia said both dogs did excellent work, exactly as they had trained. After a thorough search, Marshia was able to notify police and other rescue workers that the child was not hiding or trapped in the area.
On April 27, 2015, Marshia and Lilah traveled to Salina, KS to be evaluated for SUSAR Re-Certification, which they achieved. All teams, whether they are in the SUSAR or Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) systems, must Re-Certify every three years in order to maintain their active deployment status. This team passed a second time with no problem at all!
And just in time as well, because they went out the door together a third time when an elderly man was reported missing in their neighboring city of Clermont. Sadly, the man was not found alive, but Marshia was relieved that her department was at least able to provide some closure to the man’s family at this very difficult time.
Later in the year, Marshia decided that she and Lilah could be of more service on Florida Task Force 1 (FL-TF1), sponsored by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, so they transferred from FL-TF4. Now members of a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, Marshia and Lilah traveled to a FEMA evaluation in Indianapolis, IN, and achieved FEMA Certification in November 2015. This new certification made the team eligible to deploy nationwide with their new task force teammates.
The first opportunity came the following year, as most East Coast task forces made preparations for Hurricane Matthew to hit land on October 6, 2016. Thankfully for civilians in their jurisdiction, Florida was largely spared the destruction that this Category 5 hurricane brought to other states. In the end, there were no reports of missing citizens and therefore no need for Marshia, Lilah and their teammates to search. But we were grateful that they were ready should they have been needed to save lives.
In September of 2017, Marshia and Lilah were deployed after Hurricane Irma struck Florida. Alongside their teammates, the two were able to help ensure that no one was left behind alive in the aftermath of the storms.
One year later, in September of 2018, Marshia and Lilah were deployed to their third hurricane response, Hurricane Florence, which hit landfall over the Carolinas and other portions of the southeast. Hurricane Florence was a Category 4 hurricane and caused devastating damage with high levels of rainfall and a large storm surge. The team spent 18 days in the region with FL-TF1, where severe flooding had caused the need for over 1,000 water rescues. With so much water, there ended up not being much need for the dogs to go to work, but dozens were there in case they were needed.
The following month Hurricane Michael struck Florida and the team deployed with FL-TF1, but operated with their old teammates on FL-TF4. Hurricane Michael was the first-ever recorded Category 6 over the Atlantic and, though it downgraded to a Category 5 hurricane by the time it hit the U.S., was the strongest recorded hurricane to ever hit the Florida Panhandle. It caused catastrophic damage and Marshia and Lilah were once again there to help! At the end of an 8 day mission in some of the worst hit parts of Florida, Marshia and Lilah returned home to relax and recharge their batteries.
Several days later, on October 27, the two traveled to Memphis, TN, where they achieved FEMA Re-Certification. Lilah is a terrific search dog – fast, athletic and sharp as a tack. Watching them on rubble, she and Marshia seem to speak their own language, which comes with years of developing a tight bond and partnership. In between deployments, they attend regular team training sessions with FL-TF1 and even made it out to SDF’s National Training Center in May 2019 for a fun and challenging deployment-based exercise with SDF trainers.
In August of 2019, Marshia and Lilah searched Florida following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. The Category 3 storm struck the southeast on Labor Day Weekend and, in total, 12 SDF-trained teams from 6 different U.S. task force deployed to Florida and the Carolinas to help citizens in the region.
The team’s final deployment occurred one year later in August of 2020, when Hurricane Laura affected Texas and Louisiana. Marshia & Lilah spent four days searching for missing citizens and helping bring closure to affected families.
Unfortunately, Lilah was forced to medically retire on November 9, 2021, when she was diagnosed with a form of cancer that affected her vision. Thanks to excellent veterinary care and a grant from Petco Love, Lilah had surgery to remove one of her eyes and successfully save her life. Lilah enjoyed her retirement years as a pet in Marshia’s home and continued to smile and spread joy like only Lilah could.
At the age of 13, Lilah peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 21, 2023. Marshia was there by her side to say goodbye to her canine partner and dear friend.
We are grateful to this incredible canine team for their service and will honor Lilah’s life at SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall so that her service will be remembered for many years to come.