Bonus becomes first Search and Rescue K9 for Contra Costa Fire Protection District

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Black Labrador Retriever “Bonus” and his brother “Bond” had “too much energy” for adoption. Bonus had originally been adopted out to a family but they returned him because of his seemingly endless energy.

The dogs were living in foster homes but ended up with Dogs for Better Lives in Oregon. DBL trains dogs for careers as service and companion dogs. They had too much energy for that too.

While this character trait isn’t ideal for work as an assistance dog, it’s perfect for search and rescue work. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation reached out to help the boys change careers. Both dogs passed an evaluation as search dog candidates with flying colors.

Contra Costa County Firefighter Tony Vasta matched with Bonus in December 2020. Both handler and dog graduated from the Search Dog Foundation Handlers Course on Dec. 11.

After months of hard training, Vasta and Bonus finished their FEMA certification in April. They now become the first K9 team in Contra Costa County Fire Protection District history.

As members of Task Force-4, Firefighter Vasta and Bonus stand mission-ready for deployment anywhere in the nation. Bonus, who qualifies as a “Live-Find” dog and specializes in searching rubble, will deploy throughout Contra Costa County.

Bonus’s brother Bond also found a position as part of the K9 search team with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.