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SDF Features

Traveling Tails: See Your SDF Teams Hard at Work in Sacramento!

I caught some of our teams in action as I traveled through the Sacramento area last weekend! Three Canine Disaster Search Teams trained by SDF were in attendance, along with several others, for the regularly scheduled training exercise held at a local recycling plant. Together, teams practiced their search skills on rubble and other elements available at the site, challenging their canines and helping one another through problem solving.

Throughout the training, I shared live photo updates on SDF’s Instagram detailing search problems and some fun candid shots. It’s always great to catch-up with the teams so if you weren’t able to follow the adventure on Instagram in real-time, we hope you enjoy these photos from the day!

~ Kate Horwick, SDF Development Officer

SDF Features

Happy Tails, Celeste!

Believe it or not, SDF’s very own Celeste Matesevac is retiring after 14 years of incredible service to the Search Dogs, handlers, supporters and organization as a whole. As you know, Celeste’s warm and thoughtful demeanor has touched so many of us on a personal level and it’s hard to imagine a SDF office without her daily stories, laughs and hugs.

Beginning with a phone call from SDF Founder Wilma Melville, we’re sure Celeste never imagined the journey she was about to begin:

“Many people enter our lives but only a few stick there permanently.  Celeste is a keeper!  Because Celeste is shortly retiring from the Search Dog Foundation, I’ve asked myself, what makes this gal such a treasure?  Is it because of Celeste’s quiet cheerfulness?  Is it because of Celeste’s genuine goodwill toward each person she meets?  Is it because one is virtually assured of a “yes” when you ask something of Celeste? Hmmmmm….the answer to myself is that Celeste will stay in my life because of all these qualities.  How fortunate I am!”

– SDF Founder Wilma Melville

Not to worry though, Celeste isn’t going too far and we know where to find her so she won’t be missing from the SDF picture completely. We just like to think of SDF as her hobby now, rather than her full-time focus!

We wish Celeste all the best and thank each of you so much for helping make Celeste’s tenure here at SDF so special, it has been all of you, her friends, who made this journey so special.

SDF Features

Search Teams From Across the Country Train for Disasters at our National Training Center

It’s not a matter of if, but when the next natural or man-made disaster will occur. To stay prepared and ready for anything, Canine Disaster Search Teams must constantly hone their skills through intensive training – and what better place to do that than SDF’s National Training Center, specifically designed for Disaster Search Dogs and their Handlers to train for the inevitable?

SDF welcomed SDF-trained teams Roxanne Bauman & Cole and Madison Warner & Tanner to the NTC February 13-15 to brush up on their search strategy and overall skills in preparation for their Certification Evaluation. (Read the results of their test here!)

Then, on February 24, Canine Disaster Search Teams from California Task Force 1 and California Task Force 2, both based in LA, teamed up at our NTC to train on search logistics, GPS usage, search markings as well as other search skills needed when they deploy nationally or internationally after a disaster.

As you may remember, California Task Force 2 is one of only two internationally deployable task forces in the United States. To ensure that they are ready to deploy abroad at a moment’s notice, the Task Force undergoes a thorough evaluation annually, and have been taking advantage of the multiple search sites available at the NTC to test their skills.

As you can imagine, it is extremely important that the evaluation process is a success and the Canine Search Specialist component of the Task Force is making sure that they are ready!

“Taking advantage of our closer proximity to the NTC, we’re fortunate to have a site like this for training purposes. These larger scale exercises are preparing our Task Force for an evaluation we will be undergoing soon in order to ensure we continue to meet high standards for international deployment-readiness. It’s also crucial training for when it’s time to put our skills to use in the real world. The more hands-on experience our teams can get under their belt before disasters strike, the better prepared we’ll be when the call actually comes.” – Captain Dennis Clark, California Task Force 2 Canine Coordinator and handler of Rugby

Click below to see each individual photo from our slideshow: