A former shelter dog from a Texas is now helping in the search for bodies at the site of the fertilizer plant explosion that occurred April 17th in the small town of West, Texas that left 14 people dead and over 200 injured.
It’s a remarkable story of redemption and service for Tucker, a Labrador retriever mix, having been discovered in a local Texas shelter and now is an integral part of a search party. He uses his scenting skills to search the surrounding neighborhood in the area of the explosion that demolished hundreds of homes.
Tucker was discovered at age 5 months at a local shelter in Texas by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. This organization combs shelter sites to find possible dog candidates to be used in search and rescue work. Tucker met the breed criteria and merited an on-site visit where it was confirmed had potential as a prime candidate.
He was then adopted by the foundation’s canine manager where Tucker was socialized with other dogs, later receiving formal training at age 7 months and paired with Texas firefighter Keri Grant, from the McKinney, Texas Fire Department.
Tucker lives with Keri Grant and her family, husband, Stuart, son, Sammy, and two dog siblings Duke and Missy Anne, Weimaraners.
Never underestimate a gooood dog.
Great story. Shelter – and street – dogs can oftentimes be fantastic worker dogs and are too often overlooked. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation made a smart move in finding Tucker!