Search Teams

Our Search Teams

Baja California Task Force 3 (BC-TF3)

California Regional Task Force 7 (CA-RTF7) Ventura County

California Task Force 1 (CA-TF1) Los Angeles City

California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) Los Angeles County

California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3) Bay Area

California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) Oakland

California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5) Orange County

California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7) Sacramento

California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8) San Diego

Nebraska Task Force 1 (NE-TF1)

New York Task Force 2 (NY-TF2)

Oklahoma Task Force 1 (OK-TF1)

Utah Task Force 1 (UT-TF1)

Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF1)

Virginia Task Force 2 (VA-TF2)

Ruger & Mark Stevenson

Ruger & Mark Stevenson

 

Team Info

 

Task Force: California Task Force 1 (Los Angeles)
Agency: Los Angeles Fire
Level: Certified

 

 

Search Dog Info

 

Breed: Lab
Sex: Male
Born: March 19, 2021

 

 

Ruger was raised since puppyhood by an elderly owner who realized she could no longer keep up with his high energy. Instead of surrendering him to an animal shelter, she placed him for adoption in a local paper, where SDF recruiters discovered him. Upon evaluation, recruiters determined Ruger possessed the traits we look for in a potential search dog, and Ruger came to SDF to begin training. 

  

Once he started the search program, there was no question that Ruger had found his calling. He’s a natural on the rubble and has a fantastic extended bark alert. Ruger brings 110% every time he’s sent to search, and his determination is unmatched. He takes his job so seriously that when he went on a field trip to a local park, he wanted to bark and search for people there, too! Ruger’s intensity and work ethic make him a beast of a search dog, but he’s still a big softy with an adorable face in his downtime. 

  

On June 3, 2023, Ruger was partnered with Mark Stevenson of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and California Task Force 1 (CA-TF1). Together, they regularly trained with their task force teammates and achieved FEMA certification in November 2023.  

 

They have been on one deployment so far, when they helped search for a missing person in Malibu on May 19, 2024. In addition to his work with LAFD and CA-TF1, Mark also volunteers for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Malibu Search and Rescue Team. Upon completing their search, Mark told us, “He (Ruger) did a fantastic job and was so happy to be out there doing the real thing! Unfortunately, no one was found, but the neighboring property was under heavy construction, so when we finished working the call, he got to find a ‘victim’ hiding for him to give positive reinforcement.” 

 

Mark and Ruger continued to train weekly with their task force teammates to prepare for different disaster scenarios in preparation for the next call. Then in October 2024, they pre-deployed with CA-TF1 to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton, expected to make landfall as a major hurricane. We wish Mark and Ruger, as well as everyone responding to the recent hurricane activity, a successful mission and speedy return!