For some reason, dog stories always seem to touch our hearts and sometimes bring tears to our eyes. It is so painful hearing how tragic a dog’s life has been, and it makes you not want to hear at all, but knowing there’s probably a good ending helps you get through the sad parts. Thankfully, this story is a happy story about a dog close to a tragic ending but who’s life got turned around and upside down.
Rocket is a search dog with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, but five years ago he was set to be euthanized because he was too energetic. His energy and personality made him challenging to adopt and his time had been met at the shelter. He was at the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). As a last resort, the shelter recommended him as a rescue dog in 2012. Workers there saw his energy and curiosity and thought it could be channeled into something positive. Dawn Foster who is a Spokeswoman for the Sacramento SPCA said they are always looking for dogs that have the instinct to do a job or solve problems. They felt Rocket might be one of these dogs.
They had him tested for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation who has paired several dogs from the Sacramento SPCA with other rescue workers. Unfortunately, Rocket failed the test. Thankfully the volunteer who tested Rocket, couldn’t stop thinking about him. She decided to adopt Rocket and started bringing him out exploring with another search dog. The following year after doing some training, Rocket passed the test.
Rocket was partnered with Michael Stornetta who is an engineer with the Windsor Fire District in Sonoma County. The pair is now certified to work in disaster zones with an Oakland-based Federal Emergency Management Agency task force. Foster said this about the situation in a quote from the Sacramento Bee: “I think it’s just a testament that…just because an animal ends up in the shelter doesn’t mean they are an animal that someone doesn’t want or that they don’t have a lot to give to the community.”
The two are now one of 14 search dog pairs trained through the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation that are helping rescue missions in Texas as Hurricane Harvey rears its ugly head and affects thousands of people. Rocket along with the other 14 dogs has been taught to find live people buried underneath debris or are trapped because of a disaster. Once the waters go down, Rocket will help his partner to find individuals who are still trapped. The dogs can cover a lot more ground at a faster pace than humans can.
It’s heartwarming to see what could have been an unfortunate situation turned into a hero story. Rockets energy was channeled into something positive, and he was able to find a home. It is important to remember that sometimes a little patience is all it takes for a dog’s true colors to show!
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Source: The Sacramento Bee
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