SALT LAKE CITY — He was one of Utah's most celebrated four-legged Urban Search and Rescue members.
Jake, a 12-year-old black Labrador, went from being a crippled puppy adopted from an animal shelter to a top search dog, working with Utah Task Force 1 at ground zero and areas ravaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
In 2007, Jake was euthanized following a battle with cancer.
But to many, including his handler, Mary Flood, Jake lives on today, both in memory and now also as a visual inspiration.
The Utah Emergency Animal Response Coalition, or UEARC (pronounced U-Ark), unveiled its second Animal Response Trailer on Tuesday. The trailer will be used to provide shelters, or cages with bedding and water, for up to 100 small pets in the event of disasters such as a wildfire, flood or earthquake. Currently, many such pets are left uncared for during a general emergency.
The new trailer was dedicated in memory of Jake and is covered with several large pictures of the black Lab. Flood also received a plaque Tuesday in honor of Jake and all the service dogs that work with Utah Task Force One.
"It was pretty cool," Flood said of the award. "He does live on. Kids ask about him all the time. He remains a presence in my life."
When Jake was a puppy, he suffered a broken leg and a dislocated hip and had to have the head of his femur removed. Although he could barely walk, Flood was dedicated in training him. Jake not only recovered, he turned out to be a quick learner, and combined with natural ability, was soon able to find anything from people to food in the neighbor's kitchen.
While combing through the rubble at ground zero following the attack on the World Trade Towers, Jake found a survivor.
"Jake went in and I could see his joy in finding a live person," Flood said.
Her new dog is BB, a 2-year-old who was also a stray.
"No one wanted to adopt her," said the Riverton animal control worker who found BB wandering the streets. Although she shows strong promise, she still has another year of training to go before being fully ready for the USAR Team.
There are currently five U-Ark response teams in Utah. The team responded, with its first trailer, to the Mill Flat Fire in Iron County in 2009. In July and August of that year, the fire burned 12,000 acres and destroyed three homes and 11 other structures.
When the U-Ark team arrived in southern Utah, its members found out quickly they weren't as prepared as they thought. Dozens of dogs, cats, goats, llamas and horses had to be rounded up and kept safe during the traumatic event.
While the first trailer will remain in southern Utah, the second trailer with Jake's picture will be kept in the northern part of the state. Funds are currently being raised to purchase a third trailer, according to U-Ark director Warren Hess.
The U-Ark team announced the trailer during the first Utah "Animals in Disasters Workshop," sponsored by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. The Mill Flat Fire, and how the U-Ark team could improve its response, were among the topics discussed Tuesday.
During the two-day event the group sought to come up with a national standard for cooperation among human and animal search groups and to develop resources to teach large animal technical rescue, needed when a cow falls into a storm drain, for instance.
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com