From stray dog to search and rescue dog. Follow Greta as she becomes a lifesaver!

With HSTT’s fortunate proximity to Truckee Tahoe Airport and the help of volunteer pilots Shawna and Grant from the Moment Foundation, Greta was able to jet-set down to SoCal like a true Hollywood star.

Greta’s journey from HSTT’s door to SDF’s in Santa Paula, California, took less than four hours, and she arrived feeling relaxed and ready for a new, exciting adventure.

For Greta’s safety, as well as the safety of our pilots, Greta was comfortably and securely crated for her flight.

The Search Dog Foundation Training Campus in Santa Paula, California.

At the Search Dog Foundation campus, new recruits are put through their paces to determine whether a dog has what it takes to be a search and rescue training candidate. Greta was given some time to settle into her new home before she started working with trainers, who assessed her ability to join the Search Dog Training program. Greta’s trainers described her as “spice and sweetness swirled into a fun little package.” Well, Greta must have nailed her audition because she officially became a freshman in the USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) program on June 6^th, beginning eight to ten months of intensive training.

On July 3^rd, we received this promising update from Katie Brennan, SDF’s Canine Recruitment Outreach Manager, “Greta has moved up to the sophomore class and started searching on rubble. She moved quickly through the freshman barrel field progression and loves to hunt and tug with her victim. She can get distracted easily, so her training has emphasized building engagement and focus duration as she learns her obedience elements. She also recently joined our playgroups for the first time and loves playing with the other dogs.”

After Greta’s first month at SDF, her trainers said, “She loves to play tug and is learning to play collaboratively with her trainers.”

As Greta learns new skills and her abilities grow, her future as a lifesaving search and rescue dog looks bright!

We are eager to hear how Greta progresses through her training, look forward to following her career, no matter what job she ultimately lands, and are thankful to the many people and organizations who made Greta’s journey possible. From San Francisco Animal Care & Control, for the incredible work they do on behalf of dogs like Greta, to our partner, Truckee Animal Services, to HSTT’s Liz Alstott, who spent weeks working on Greta’s acceptance into SDF, to Truckee Tahoe Airport District, which generously supports HSTT’s Truckee Animal Shelter and provides our community the ability to conveniently jet-set at almost any time to almost anywhere, to Grant and Shawna at the Moment Foundation, who volunteered their time to fly Greta to her fresh start, and to Search Dog Foundation, for giving Greta, and many at-risk dogs like her, the opportunity to have a life full of purpose and to become a hero.