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)

Cooper & Michael Bruce

Cooper & Michael Bruce

 

Team Info

 

Task Force: California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5)
Agency: Orange County Fire Authority
Level: Certified

 

 

Search Dog Info

 

Breed: Yellow Labrador
Sex: Male
Born: July 21, 2016
Recruited from the Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue
Recruited by Kirsten Fulk
Sponsor: The Joel and Dena Gambord Family

 

 

Cooper is the third SDF graduate whose search dog potential was identified by the wonderful volunteers at the Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue (GGLRR) in the Bay Area of Northern California. SDF began working with this organization in 2014, when one of our volunteers met a yellow Lab they had available for adoption that we named Tanner, who became a federally certified search dog in Utah.

 

Originally named Cody, the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority (SVACA) had seized this young Labrador due to owner neglect and abuse. SVACA immediately called GGLRR and explained that they could release him to them on July 9, 2017. Cody’s life was transformed that day when GGLRR collected him from the shelter and put him into the home of a local couple named Joann and Chuck Munch, who fostered him.  

 

Thanks to his foster parents’ patience and kindness, Cody learned that people are good and loving. To everyone’s surprise, this bouncy, energetic puppy seems to have returned 100 percent from his previous abuse and neglect. Now he loves his toys and every person he meets!  

 

Because of their existing relationship with SDF, GGLRR contacted us as soon as they realized that Cody’s energetic character and high toy drive might make him a great candidate for our program. Canine Recruiter Kirsten Fulk made the trip to evaluate Cody and said, “When I first turned him loose on the rubble pile, I was amazed as he ran right across all the wobbly pallets! I have high hopes for this bouncy pup!”  

 

Kirsten drove him to SDF’s National Training Center, where he was officially accepted into our training program and would spend the next fifteen months.  

 

At first, Cody’s training was delayed due to concerns about his bark alert. His bark didn’t last long, and he quickly grew hoarse. The bark alert is crucial because it’s how a search dog communicates to their human partner that they’ve found someone alive. We did everything we could to help Cody be successful, and eventually, his bark began to gain strength, and he could commit to the search program!  

 

SDF likes to honor each of our Search Dogs by giving only one dog a particular name. A Golden Retriever named Cody had already valiantly served on California Task Force 8 in San Diego, CA, for more than a decade before retiring. Because of this, GGLRR’s Cody was renamed Cooper, a name selected by SDF volunteers.  

 

Cooper blossomed during his time with SDF. Once an unruly youngster, Cooper matured into a great Search Dog! SDF Canine Kennel Manager Jenn Mueller said, “Cooper is a great reminder of why we do what we do. I read through his paperwork when he arrived and what he had been through was horrific. It was heartbreaking but watching him come into his own has been breathtaking. I’m getting teary-eyed just talking about him because he absolutely has my heart. I know I’m going to bawl like a baby at graduation.”  

 

Cooper graduated from SDF’s program on October 26, 2018, when he was paired with Firefighter Michael Bruce of the Orange County Fire Authority and California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5). The team trained diligently with their task force teammates and achieved FEMA certification, which allows them to deploy on federal missions, in February 2020, and again in February 2023. Cooper and Michael’s partnership is a powerful example of the bond that can form between a dog and their human, and they are now ready to serve when the call comes!   

 

Their first deployment was in search of a missing hiker in Brea, CA, on December 30, 2022. And when Hurricane Helene struck the Gulf Coast and made her way inland as a Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024, Michael and Cooper deployed with CA-TF5 the following day to assist communities devastated by flooding. We wish them all the best of luck on a successful mission and safe return.