ABC News(NEW YORK) — Two new canines have joined the ranks of FEMA’s first responders.
ABC News was there to witness New York Police Department (NYPD) dogs Tuz and Bruno earn their certification with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue team.
These elite K-9s are sent on disaster relief missions around the nation following a natural disaster.
Tuz is named after fallen NYPD Sargent Paul Tuozzolo, who was killed in the line of duty last year. He is handled by Police Officer Dan Bosco.
Bruno, who came from the Czech Republic, is handled by Police Officer Anthony Barreto.
Barreto said that the moment he saw Bruno, he knew he wanted to be paired with him because the dog looked like “he wanted to work.”
In an interview with ABC News, Tuz couldn’t seem to look away from the obstacle course and kept pulling to go back on to the rubble pile.
“All he wants to do is work,” Bosco told ABC News. “All the time.”
The biggest challenge the dogs face in the exam is the terrain, Detective Scott Mateyaschuk, lead trainer of the Emergency Service K-9 team, said.
Mateyaschuk explained that the test is not only for the dogs; the examiners are also testing how the K-9 and the handler work together as a team.
Tuz and Bruno are two of the 49 specially-trained canines in the NYPD Emergency Service K-9 Team.
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