Echo and his handler, Brook Rowley, are currently in training to become officially certified. After certification, they will join the New York Task Force 2, which Brook has been a member of for two years. Echo was rescued from a shelter in Menands, New York after originally being surrendered to a shelter in Tennessee as an active and playful pup. Echo was rescued from NY after seeing his high potential for the search and rescue field.
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Dana Asper | Consultant + Designer + Developer | Dana obsesses on all the little things that create an experience. She tweaks, refines, perfects.
Skylar is a Search Dog In Training, but is learning fast! Animal Care and Control picked up Skylar, a Malinois mix, in Oregon this past December. Her endless energy and profound love of toys revealed her search dog potential to SDF. Skylar officially entered the SDF program on March 1 and will train at SDF’s facility in Santa Paula, CA for the next eight to ten months. Skylar is expected to do great things in training and will be paired with a handler after she completes her training.
Echo and his handler, Brook Rowley, are currently in training to become officially certified. After certification, they will join the New York Task Force 2, which Brook has been a member of for two years. Echo was rescued from a shelter in Menands, New York after originally being surrendered to a shelter in Tennessee as an active and playful pup. Echo was rescued from NY after seeing his high potential for the search and rescue field.
MEET THE TEAM
Golden Retriever Charlie and his partner, Chris, join the Arc Aspicio family as our most recent search dog team. Charlie graduated from SDF’s training program in May 2016 and has since partnered with Chris as members of the New York Task Force 2 based in Albany. On November 4, 2016, Charlie and Chris achieved their basic Type II Certification with the State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance, and they are now ready to deploy when the next disaster strikes.
Taylor, a Yellow Lab, was rescued from the Aberdeen Area Humane Society at two-years-old and recruited for the SDF Training Program in California. After she graduated, Taylor partnered with Paramedic/Logistics Specialist Trevor Lawrence of Utah Task Force 1. The pair bonded quickly and received their FEMA Certification in 2014. The team focuses on missing persons cases in the Salt Lake City area.
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In 2014, Ivan, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois, graduated from the SDF training program and partnered with Lieutenant Kristi Bartlett of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in Virginia. In April 2015, Kristi and Ivan received their FEMA Certification, making them one of only two FEMA Task Forces in the United States that are equipped to respond to international disaster zones.
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Arc Aspicio sponsored firefighter Eric Darling of the Ridley Park Fire Department and his canine Ben, a big Black Labrador. In February 2014, the pair achieved FEMA Re-Certification. Eric and Ben successfully deployed to five missing person’s sites since they were paired in June 2010. Ben’s unbelievable drive and trainability propelled him through formal training, and he is famous for being so excited to go searching that he pulls trainers over just getting to the search pile. Eric was originally assigned to California Task Force 5, but recently transferred to Pennsylvania Task Force 1 with Ben.
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Arc Aspicio sponsored firefighter Jeff Leon of the Tulsa Fire Department and canine Justice, a beautiful Golden / Labrador Retriever mix who was rescued from an animal shelter in California. She began her training with SDF on September 11, 2010. In June 2011, Justice met her trainer Jeff and it was clear that the two shared similar personality traits and made an excellent team. Jeff and Justice retired from the program in 2016.
Arc Aspicio sponsored search team John Stewart and Lani of Saratoga Springs, New York. The entire company first met them when they attended our 2010 Spring Celebration that raised awareness and money for the organization. John, a firefighter who also works for two ambulance squads, brings Lani, an 8-year-old German Shepherd, to work with him when they are not on a search deployment. The pair attained Basic Certification in June 2006. A few days later, they deployed to assist with rescue efforts at the scene of a flood in central New York. Read about John and Lani's efforts in response to Hurricane Sandy. John and Lani retired from the program in 2012.
