Pearl the homeless dog turn search and rescue dog was rescued from the Plumas County Animal Shelter and trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. She was then donated to the Los Angeles County Fire Department and her handler Captain Ron Horetski in July 2008. Since her adoption by the National Disaster Search dog Foundation she has worked numerous other disasters including being sent to Haiti.
Pearl and Ron, and five other Canine Disaster Search Teams from the Los Angeles County Task Force 2, mobilized by USAID, will aid in rescue efforts in Japan.
"In the first few minutes, other people come and rescue the ones they can hear crying for help. It's the people who are buried underneath debris and rubble that we're looking for. Fourteen days out, they were still finding people alive in Haiti." said Gary Durian one of the other 5 handler and dog teams in Japan helping to find survivors.
Gary's Partner Baxter was also a homeless dog he was discovered at a Northern California animal shelter in February 2006 by a Search Dog Foundation volunteer who saw potential in the canine.
http://danville.patch.com/articles/rescue-dog-featured-in-local-book-to-help-in-japan-earthquake-search-effort
http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/Wire_News_Display.1377454197.html