STATESVILLE, N.C.,None — At 8 months old, Diezel is still a puppy and, at times, still displays that puppy enthusiasm and desire to play.
But when commanded, Diezel quickly changes from a playful pup to a dog set on one mission — to find a lost person.
Diezel, a German shepherd, and Zues, a Belgian malinois, recently joined the Iredell Search and Rescue Team (ISAR). Both dogs were donated to the all-volunteer search team.
Local German shepherd breeders Jim and Tammy Fox donated Diezel to ISAR, while former N.Y. Yankees bullpen coach and major league baseball player Tony Cloninger helped arrange for Zues to join the team.
Diezel is being handled by Kimmy Lambert and Zues is paired with ISAR veteran Melissa Lefler.
Tammy Fox said she and her husband, Jim, decided to donate Diezel after meeting Lambert through a friend. After talking with Lambert, they agreed donating one of the pups from a litter born in January was something they wanted to do.
Lambert, who is new to dog-handling, said he's owned dogs his whole life and, after getting involved with ISAR, he decided to expand his love of dogs into working with an animal that can help in search and rescue.
So far, he said, Diezel is proving he is up to the task. "He's a very smart dog, He catches on real quick," he said.
Zues was on the brink of being put down when Cloninger stepped in, Lefler said.
Lefler, who has handled several dogs for ISAR in the past 10 years, said she met Cloninger some 10 years ago while he was coaching for the Yankees. She helped take care of his dogs when he was on the road.
He donated a dog to Lefler when her first cadaver dog, Allen, was retired.
The 4-year-old malinois had been surrendered to an animal control shelter and was scheduled to be euthanized the day after Cloninger found him. "Tony called me and said he's rescued this dog and thought he might be a good candidate for SAR work," Lefler said.
She said he was right about Zues. "He is a tracking machine and has such a great temperament," Lefler said.
ISAR coordinator Dean Hutchens said that is vital for SAR dogs. These dogs, he said, need to be friendly with all types of people. "You don't want a dog that will scare someone who is lost," he said.
Hutchens said both dogs will be an asset to ISAR and the fact that they were donated is especially important.
"We rely on donations," and purchasing a trained search and rescue dog would be cost-prohibitive, he said. Some SAR trained dogs can cost upwards of $10,000.
Lefler said her dog is being cross-trained as both a search and rescue and cadaver dog.
She said she feels sure Zues will succeed at both. Lefler said she is working with Zues about five hours a week with the help of David Carson and John and Tammy Kowalczyk.
Lambert said he's also trying to put in about five hours a week with Diezel, but since he is still a pup, Diezel will likely need more work.
Hutchens said he's thrilled with the progress of both dogs.