Rescue dog will retire
Published: December 1, 2005
Sequoia knows the backcountry of the San Gabriel Mountains like the back of his paws.
The white German Shepherd has been involved with more than 300 search and rescue missions and has found hundreds of wayward skiers, snowboarders and hikers, most on the back sides of Mountain High in Wrightwood and Mount Baldy. [The Dog Who Rescues Cats : True Story of Ginny]
But his handler, Rick Strasser, says that the 11-year-old will be roaming the slopes for a final time this winter. He will be retired and replaced by Shasta, a female white German Shepherd that will be a little more than a year old, in four or five months.
“Sequoia is the best dog I’ve ever had,” Strasser said. “If Shasta is half as good, then I’ll be very proud.”
Sequoia, a Christmas gift from his ex-wife because he liked white German Shepherds, and Strasser have promoted safety in the wilderness at numerous public schools. They will make one of his final public appearances this weekend at Ski Dazzle. The 47th annual show will be held Thursday through Sunday at the L.A. Convention Center.
Sequoia and Shasta will be near the door, greeting skiers and snowboarders. More than 100 resorts and hundreds of ski equipment and clothing manufacturers will also be on hand.
Strasser, who turns 52 on Friday, has been on various search and rescue teams for more than 30 years. Shasta will be his fourth dog in 20 years in which he has trained, and certified, for search and rescue. [Ready! The Training of the Search and Rescue Dog]
“She’ll probably be my last,” he said.
Strasser, from his Tehachapi home, leads the Kern County Search and Rescue team. He is a Barstow paramedic and firefighter, and an advisor to the Mountain High Ski Patrol. They are members of the California Rescue Dogs Association and Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dogs Association. They are frequently called out for missions in Sequoia National Park and Yosemite, along with searches throughout the state. There are just a handful of dogs certified for the task, and even fewer for high-altitude searches, which is Sequoia’s specialty.
When they’re not searching for those lost, Sequoia can be found at Mountain High running down the trails, riding in the snowcat or playing and receiving pats and rubs from ski school participants.
“We can get dropped off by a helicopter and be self-sufficient for two, three days, in snow and ice in the wilderness,” Strasser said. “Until we find what we’re looking for. We’ll tell the helicopter (pilot) to pick us up on so-and-so a day and time.”
Strasser says any dog can be trained to do what Sequoia and Shasta do.
“It’s not like standard obedience,” Strasser says. “We teach search and rescue skills from the beginning.”
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