Pechanga Tribal Nation

Search dog donation

Pechanga donation to help pay for search dog

April 10, 2002
AGNES DIGGS - Staff Writer - NCTimes.com

TEMECULA ---- The Pechanga Indians made a $10,000 donation Wednesday that will further a local firefighter's efforts to acquire a disaster search dog.

"We think it will benefit the whole valley," said Anthony Miranda, president of the Pechanga Development Corp. after he and other officials presented the funds to Murrieta firefighter John Thomas.

The Pechanga, who have made hundreds of thousands of cash and in-kind donations to local schools and charitable organizations, responded to a request for assistance from Thomas, who has been on a mission to bring a search dog to the valley.

"There's still more money to be raised and they're still looking to match up a dog to him, but this helps to start the process," Miranda said.

Thomas gratefully accepted the funds, which will be used for a dog, special training and supplies. He estimates the costs could surpass $15,000.

"This is one of the most difficult things I've ever tried to achieve," Thomas said. "Without the support of Pechanga, I might not have been able to do it."

For the occasion, Thomas brought a retired search dog, a Labrador named Jenna, to show tribal representatives how the specially trained animals function. Jenna wore an orange vest that said "search dog" and a special collar that has an electric device resembling a pager to gently zap the dog in case it becomes distracted from its mission. The dogs are trained to find everything from lost children to people buried in rubble, Thomas said.

"These dogs are like Olympic athletes in their field," he said.

Thomas is working through the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, a nonprofit organization that deployed 13 certified dog-and-handler teams to New York City following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The foundation is working with 10 dogs, one of which will become Thomas' partner, if all goes according to plan. In May, he will join the training process, he said.

Trained handlers are usually firefighters because they are already among the first to respond in a disaster. Many of the dogs used in the program are rescued from animal shelters. The breeds of choice are usually Labradors and golden retrievers. Many work to the age of 10 and, after retirement, may go to live with their handler.

"They are dogs with characteristics like firefighters," Thomas said. "Big hearts and lots of courage."

Thomas has been devoting his personal time to raise funds for the dog. He said he had an epiphany of sorts while working with the search and rescue teams in New York, and working with a disaster dog is "almost a religion" to him now.

"This has changed my life and it's going to continue to change my life," he said. "I don't know whose kid will be rescued or what it will be, but I know in my heart this is going to have an impact."

Thomas said he is already working with the car dealers association in Temecula to get an appropriate vehicle to transport the search dog. Thomas drives an Emerald green 1959 Willys, which suits his family and their pets, but a search dog is considered a tool, not a pet. The dog must ride in a carrier for its own safety, and Thomas said a crew cab pickup truck with a shell would probably best accommodate the animal and all the supplies and equipment needed in an emergency.

For more information or to make a donation to the search dog effort, call (800) 372-7300.

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