The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation in Ojai marshaled 18 animals — 13 dogs — and deployed teams to the World Trade Center following the September 2001 attacks.

Handlers and their dogs undergo intensive preparation to locate living victims amid collapsed structures, starting with a typical training process that spans 8–24 months. This phase includes the selection of high-drive and stable candidates, foundation work in obedience, and progressive search exercises in rubble-like environments. The foundation’s teams were sent to New York City in September 2001 to work at Ground Zero. The deployment tested both training and stamina as handlers and dogs searched on vast rubble fields strewn with smoke and lights.

Training and certification are central to the foundation’s work in Ojai, California. The foundation readies teams to operate in disaster settings and to meet standards used by FEMA, pairing experienced handlers with dogs selected for drive and agility. Notably, animal shelters serve as a major source of candidate dogs for these search and rescue programs, which evaluate athletic shelter dogs and place suitable ones into specialized training. The training program at the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation prepares teams to move quickly into chaotic environments and to perform under stress; the foundation’s approach to building those skills is described by the organization’s canine training materials and standards.

At practice sites, handlers and dogs learn to navigate unstable terrain. One vivid moment captured in training: Manny, a border collie, leaps across jutting stone and twisted metal on a large rubble pile, demonstrating the agility teams depend on in live deployments. Abby, a black Lab, is noted for her sure-footed work on rubble piles; Murphy, another black Lab, is the dog used by certified handler Wilma Melville in training exercises. Melville described the urgency of the mission: “People trapped in rubble have a narrow window of time open for their survival. The sooner they’re rescued, the better their chances,” she said.

Handlers described the disorienting scene they encountered at Ground Zero. “When you get there and the towers are no longer part of the skyline and all you see is smoke and lights coming from where the Trade Center once was… you feel like you’re in a dream,” said Debra Tosch, a search dog handler and executive director with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation.

Teams are intentionally built as handler-and-dog pairs. “They don’t realize this is a job, they think it’s fun,” said handler Ron Weckbacher, noting how a dog’s play drive is harnessed into focused searching. That combination of play, drive, and discipline is the foundation of the program’s operational capability. Individuals looking to support local search and rescue dog teams can contribute by donating funds, volunteering time, or organizing fundraisers to cover training and deployment costs for these largely volunteer-based resources.

The foundation’s roster and its relationship with certifying authorities were part of an organized response. FEMA certifies disaster search dog teams, and California’s Office of Emergency Systems recruits and integrates first responders—such as firefighters—as handlers for search-and-rescue dogs in state responses.

Beyond individual dogs and handlers, the program relies on volunteers and board members to sustain training and deployments. Lori Mohr, listed as a board member and volunteer with the foundation, contributes to that continuity; other handlers named in the foundation’s accounts include Seth Peacock and retired physical education teacher and certified handler Wilma Melville.

Emotional responses accompanied operational work at Ground Zero. Handlers reported relief and awe at their dogs’ abilities while searching among the devastation, and the rubble field itself left a lasting impression on those who worked there. The combination of methodical training and real-world pressure brought the dogs’ skills into sharp focus when lives could still be saved.

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation continues to train handlers and dogs in Ojai for deployments to disaster scenes, preparing teams to meet FEMA-aligned standards and to search for living victims under extreme conditions. Organizations that describe training approaches and program structures, including the foundation’s own canine training program, outline the lengthy, repetitive practice that prepares teams for field work. For broader context on pairing search dogs with medics and operational integration, reporting in FireEngineering offers additional detail on how those partnerships function in the field.

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