Only a Few Dogs Can Make the Grade

While wedged under a concrete building that dynamite has tilted on its side, in a dark cavity so small that only the tiniest movement is possible, no sound is sweeter to a human ear than the excited sniffing coming from Fang’s moist, black nose.

Then the German shepherd barks, loudly and with purpose. It is an alert, a find. The panic walkie-talkie hadn’t been needed after all.

Out in the middle of nowhere, lost amid the devastated remains of the Kaiser steel mill in Fontana in a disaster landscape so bleak that movies such as “Lethal Weapon” and “Terminator 2” have been filmed here, it took Fang two minutes to find a reporter who thought that maybe, just this once, she could outsmart a dog.

Next come the human feet clumping over a mountain of concrete chunks and rocks interspersed with twisted steel, then the hands pulling away a board and a rusted grate. This “victim” has been rescued alive, not a moment too soon.

This is a textbook earthquake drill that Fang might not be able to distinguish from the real thing. Fang, Misty, Jethro and Cleo--all members of the California-Swiss Search Dog Assn.--were practicing in Fontana the other day.

They come often, and always have a good time. But to the humans, it is very serious stuff. There are rules that, if violated, could cost a human life.

Last weekend, dogs from throughout California came to the steel mill for a very structured version of the game. The state confederation of disaster dogs administered the preliminary disaster test to eight dogs, two of whom failed.

Three others who were expected to ace the test did not pass. Their certification, which must be renewed every three years, is good for another year. They will try again in Santa Rosa, in May.

The dog people say this proves that the field of canine disaster work has come a long way. Discipline and high standards are key.

“After going to Mexico City (after the earthquake) in ’85 and seeing what the dogs would do under incredible circumstances, we became dedicated to make a difference and get dogs trained,” says Shirley Hammond, a volunteer handler in Palo Alto who coordinates disaster dogs for California’s Office of Emergency Services. “But it’s been at a snail’s pace.”