OC Search & Rescue Dog Jester Aids In Montecito Mudslide Rescue

YORBA LINDA, CA — His name is Jester, and he's a 12-year-old Border Collie. Jester's partner is Captain and Crew Chief Davis Doty and both are working hard to seek survivors of a recent mud and debris flow in Montecito.

On Monday, residents who lived below the burn scar of the deadly Thomas Fire were dealt another lethal blow as the rain liquefied the earth and mud covered and destroyed homes. Now, Jester and Doty are working their way through rubble to find those still trapped and missing.

The mud is thick, and often covers homes or has washed up to the tops of doorways in many cases. Jester and Doty make their way across downed trees and ash-blackened muddy earth in hopes of rescuing the lost. The Montecito mudslide isn't Jester's first rodeo. Jester has achieved his FEMA certification (an evaluation required every three years) a record four times, according to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation.

That certification enables Jester to continue to deploy with the Task Force, most recently to Montecito, and prior to that, during Hurricane Harvey in September, 2017, according to the NDSDF. Now, Jester and Doty are back at work as just one of the teams of OCFA Search and Rescue operators in the field this week, according to a spokesperson.

At one time considered a lost cause by a former owner, this Border Collie went from being on the euthanasia list at 1 year old to turning that ample energy (and the ability to leap over seven-foot fencing) into becoming a working dog of the highest order.

"To see Jester on the rubble pile you would think he's a dog of half his age," they said. "His ability to traverse shifting surfaces beneath his feet and fly over rubble at his age is remarkable. It truly reinforces that Jester is doing what he was put on earth to do."

Jester trained at Sundowner's Kennel in 2007 and was partnered with Doty shortly thereafter. Now, he and Doty have become an inseparable team. After rescuing a missing man in Laguna Beach in 2009, Doty told the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation how that experience was a big lesson in how effective a canine can be in a search and rescue operation.

"Prior to Jester and me starting our search helicopter HD and FLIR cameras were used to find our lost victim with no luck," he said. "It does not matter how many resources and specialized technical tools are used there will always be a need for a live find search canine.”

Along with Jester and Doty, two other OCFA Air operations members are assisting the 27 members of OCFA's regional task force 10's Search and Rescue efforts in the impacted zones. According to an OCFA spokesperson, the Orange County all hazard capability team has provided a Safety Officer/Rescue Squad Leader, Medical Specialist, and the SAR Canine Team of Jester and Doty. All will continue to assist in the wide area for the areas impacted by massive runoff, according to OCFA.

Rescuers like Doty and Jester continue to comb through rubble for survivors amid destroyed homes and mud-rivers. As of this report, 17 people have been killed in the debris flow and at least eight are missing, according to officials. Geologists have told media that the threat of mudslides will remain in this area for years to come, due to the enormous 281,000-acre swath of Thomas Fire burn scar.

It is unknown as of this report if the teams have uncovered any of the lost or missing. But as for your friends at Patch, we thank you for your service.

OCFA Photo