From Rescued Pup to Rescue Dog: Dodger’s Story

Dodger testing out his new skills as a Search and Rescue dog. photo: Dane Mehl Photography

Just after Valentine’s Day in February 2021, the East Bay SPCA got a very special bundle of love delivered to our door. A local family had purchased a Belgian Malinois puppy as a gift for their son’s birthday, but they quickly realized that they would not be able to provide the training this young fellow clearly required. They surrendered the puppy, hoping we could help him find what he needed.

Our staff saw immediately that a shelter stay would be hard for little Dodger. On his first morning with us, we were greeted by a puppy panting with exertion, in the process of creating what we affectionately refer to as a “Poo-casso” on his kennel walls. The stress (and mess) wasn’t his fault - he just wanted something to do! But even as we leapt to design a structured enrichment plan for him, we knew that any length of shelter stay would be detrimental to this particular pup’s mental health.

Belgian Malinois are considered “high drive dogs.” “High drive” refers to a dog that is predisposed to carry out specific behaviors, often in conjunction with energetic physical components, such as herding, hunting, and other working applications. For a young dog with these traits, isolation in a shelter kennel can cause detrimental levels of stress. Despite our best efforts, we knew we couldn’t meet this puppy’s needs. But we knew a group who might be up for the challenge.

The East Bay SPCA partners with many rescue groups for medical, volume, or breed-specific placements. After Dodger’s behavioral evaluation (which showed a predictable knack for training, much to the delight of our behavior team), we sent out an email to our network of trainers and rescues, hoping that someone would be interested in little Dodger’s potential. And as luck would have it, the Search Dog Foundation quite literally came to his rescue.

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Santa Paula, California, that identifies and trains shelter dogs to become search-and-rescue dogs. After their training, the dogs are paired with first responder teams across the country, at no cost to the teams themselves. The foundation also provides a lifetime care guarantee for every dog. Once in the program - even if they wash out, are injured, or retire - the Search Dog Foundation is there to find them a forever home that fits their needs. And they were interested in Dodger!

How do you know if a puppy has what it takes to become a member of a search-and-rescue team? The Search Dog Foundation sent us a series of tests to administer and video to help them determine if little Dodger would be right for the program. The tests included exploring novel environments, startle recovery, as well as testing for drive and fetch in places with difficult terrain. 

While most dogs could use outdoor bushes, benches, or high grass to complete these tests, Dodger wasn’t fully vaccinated yet, and we feared exposure to PARVO virus after several recent cases on campus. So our Behavior and Training team created an all-terrain obstacle course in one of our visiting rooms so we could administer the tests safely. We sent in the videos, hoping for the best.

We didn’t have long to wait. Within an hour, Search Dog Foundation responded that they wanted Dodger for the program. And even better news, they wanted to send a volunteer pilot to pick him up the next day! 

After much celebratory high-fiving, we got to work, readying Dodger for his plane ride. The next day we met the pilots at the Oakland airport. Our little friend was off to his new life of adventure, less than five days after he first arrived at the shelter.

Since then, the Search Dog Foundation has sent us frequent reports of Dodger’s successes. Through their update emails, our staff and volunteers have watched him grow from a floppy puppy into an athletic adolescent. Email after email have extolled his eagerness to work and his enthusiasm for challenges such as ladder climbing, rubble searches, and agility. 

Today, we’re proud to report that Dodger is on track to graduate and be paired with his very own search team. From rescue to rescuer, we are grateful to have been a part of his story.